Where Is The Light!
by ItsATrap101
Summary: Lux Bonteri is having to fight for his homeworld and everything he loves with his confused lover trailing behind him. The might of Durge acts as a pivotal adversary against the rebels of Onderon, with Steela and Saw Gerrera as Anakin is struggling to put his attachments behind him while the worst and best of the Clone Wars take shape. Sequel to Where Doesn't It Hurt! Luxsoka luxoka
1. The Fire

**Here's the sequel, or continuation of the story ****_Where Doesn't It Hurt!_****, which left off on a cliffhanger. Some of you have been waiting excitedly and forever for this, some of you aren't reading this and skipped straight to the story, and some of you will read this and not make any sense out of it since you were too daunted the read the LONG first part to its entirety. **

**Either way, the show must go on and I proudly give you the beginning of a great story (do I have to utter 'if I do say so myself') that began one and a half years ago, with the start of my first fanfic that made me see it now as something so much more.**

**Sequel: This is a continuation of Where Doesn't It Hurt! The author recommends reading that story prior to this, unless you like reading what makes little sense.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and some of the syntax is excerpted out of the Star Wars: The ****Clone Wars episode "Tipping Points". I do not own SWTCW. It is owned by Lucasfilm and Disney, and no copywriter infringement is intended.**

**Rating: Rated Teen for some hard violence and sensual descriptions, like my last story. However, as warning, there will be more violent descriptions in this story than my last one.**

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Third Person's POV

Two thousand years since the start of the Clone Wars, there was some prosperity. True, there was the Great War that was cacophony of evocative proportions; when there was war on a thousand star systems, pitted against a thousand more Sith and Jedi alike.

But between such times of war, there was _peace_ and _tranquility_. A time for people to enjoy themselves for who they are, despite them being blinded by their own greed and dogma. Still, that may be exactly what was concocted to produce theq Clone Wars, the 'Great War' of such a generation.

For many, they were ready for war since the day they matured. The day that they realized they can make something in this world... The day when there was a burning feeling to create..., or create by destruction. Either way, it was the creation of _something_. A fire ruptures from a singeing flame, which ignites from an ill-gotten spark.

War begins out of greed..., or out of self-preservation. Both mindsets are easily morphed into the same goal, but war will always survive. The **Star Wars** can never die and good times must eventually come to an end.

* * *

Two Gen'dai were exploring their world, almost at the same _two thousand_ years prior to the Clone Wars. One was named Ge'ni Alle and the other was called Jubil A'ont. Yes, they were strange names for a strange race, but the two Gen'dai treated each other like brothers. Best friends in a time when they weren't warriors. They just got to enjoy their homeworld since they weren't warriors at heart yet, as most Gen'dai aspire to be.

The air was pure with moisture, for their home was ladled by a waterfall that fell a klick to the west of their village. Ge'ni took a deep breath out of the air around him, with the sultry smell of plantlife. Just as the waterfall fed a large pool of water before going out in an estuary stream.

Going closer to the waterfall made sense for they felt the wind rush against their purple-and-red-toned heads, knowing that the spray of the waterfall hitting the pool would not last. Rain at such an obvious scale the waterfall showcases, doesn't hit their homeplanet very often.

"Aw, I love the feeling of rushing water." Ge'ni hummed.

"You're such a softy." Jubil stated. "We're ugly creatures with an ugly heart. Learn to be a beast, Ge'ni... That's what we all are... Beasts!"

That's how he's come to see his race of people. Most other species in the galaxy would rather give a blind eye to Gen'dai. But could anyone blame them? All Gen'dai had a natural resistance to pain since they didn't have a central nervous system. Sure, wounds would hurt, but they can take pain much stronger than most other beings.

So, why would a resistance to pain be shunned by most other species. It shouldn't. Often, sentient beings associate a gift as a threat. But this, too, is something that naturally occurs.

The two Gen'dai were searching for Pikobis that would make up their dinner, so they searched and searched for their meal. Sometimes, it would be a failure so they would have to return without such a meal. Eventually, though, they came by one that was purple and blue-spotted in order to blend in to the environment.

"Oh... Oh, Ge'ni!' Jubil called out. "I found one."

Ge'ni smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Catch it! Catch it!" Ge'ni nodded his head in encouragement.

Jubil ran forward and stretched out to grab it, but missed. He zigzagged with the creature as it croaked with fear.

"Come on, you! Stop moving!" Jubil roared.

Before he knew it, the creature led him to a cliff edge, slanted like a bluff. The foliage that covered the planet made the terrain unpredictable and he began tumbling over the edge, sliding, his clothes being scraped and muddied by the ground as he continued to roll down, down, down until he met rock solid ground.

Jubil's elongated fingers sunk into the ground as he lifted his head to look around. Walls were piling up on all sides, acquiesce to more greenery, as well as trails of mud, with some etched ridges where appeared running water once took place in the soft, fragile ground.

Looking around once more, he realized that he stumbled upon a crater. With the Pikobi forgotten, he turned his head around and noticed one piece of bush had something unusual to all the green around it, almost lost and alone.

A _fire_ was burning inside the brown twigs as Jubil was awed by the sight of it. Just a tiny bit a was almost unheard of on his planet, so that one piece of pyro stayed withered in his mind as he carefully stared into the wondrous flare.

It was almost magical, and he didn't know how the fire even started, but it was amazing to note that the bush kept burning and burning, eventually being eaten up by the flame. However, its disintegration persisted on with a gratuitous process.

Jubil climbed up the slippery bluff on his own as he slowly made his way to the top, stopping to make sure the fire was in his hand. When he reached the surface of the cliff, he stopped to continue and gawk at that same bush, marveling the pyro in all its burning glory.

"Jubil!" Ge'ni called out, searching to see where his friend was ever since he chased the Pikobi. But once he found him staring at the bush, he stopped himself and to gaze into the fire.

The bush was turning black as the fire continued to slide wherever the curving leaves took it, still gentle, but sometimes made a crackle of sparks. The fire seemed like a tool to be owned, and both Ge'ni and Jubil _lustfully_ wanted such a marvel.

"You _better_ hand that over, Jubil." Ge'ni muttered as he stared into the flames, looking at it as if it were their own reflection.

"No..." Jubil simply stated.

Ge'ni grabbed his shoulder. "It's beautiful... Can't you give a friend such beauty?"

Jubil smiled as he shook his head. "So like you, Ge'ni. You see this thing as an art. I see it for what it really is. A tool. Something to use." He mockingly shrugged Ge'ni off.

Ge'ni mimicked his friend with the shake of his own head. "But I like it _more_. I need it _more_ than you." With a sudden lunge, he scraped the bush out of his grasp. Jubil didn't behave any better as he reached for the bush as well.

Both pulled on each ends apart with Ge'ni getting the smaller half. 'No!' Ge'ni thought to himself. 'That burning heat is mine! It's always too wet on this planet! I need it to escape this reality!"

Ge'ni gave a yell and grabbed his friends arm, twisting it in a position that would have broke him.

"You fool! My body _can't_ break!" Jubil mocked.

"But it _can't_ endure pain of the fire!" Ge'ni shouted again and grabbed his neck choking him. His finger wrapped around the tough neck and continued to squeeze to suck the life out of him.. But even that did little.

With him pinned down, Jubil gasped for breath. "I... I can't be killed this way." Being a Gen'dai under pressure, he started to sweat **oil**, expelling bits of his innards out through his skin. He continued to _sweat_, gasp, flail his arms as Ge'ni had the upper hand... Literally.

The bush was beginning the ending phases of it incineration as the flame grew and started to slide onto Jubil's balmy fingers...

And the fire spread to his hand, his elbow, his arm!

"Ahhhh! AHHH!" He shouted. Despite having an ugly mug, Jubil carried a light in his eye. He begged for mercy. "Please. Please! Friend! Ge'ni, you're like a brother to me! Keep the fire! I don't need it anymore!"

Ge'ni cackled. "You ungrateful little fool. I don't need the burning flames anymore. They belong to you."

The fire continued to spread from his arm to his shoulder to his chest... It was searing his heart, baking his lungs, gnarling his twisted muscles, but the flame continued to force Jubil to sweat more under the heat and hysteria... He was being burned alive!

And he was choking... He looked desperately at his friend. "Save me. Save me." He gasped.

Ge'ni grinned widely. "You're welcome..., best friend."

Jubil continued to scream, anguishing from the flames. His large legs were flailing in the cool breeze, on top of a fiery noon sun. Jubil continued to burn, losing hope, cursing his decision to keep the fire.

To Ge'ni, killing him so creatively was like an _art_. It made him proud.

Ge'ni let go of his neck once the fire reached his collarbone as he savored the relaxed view of watching him burn alive. Eventually, Jubil's screams were muffled as the flames crawled down his waist as well as slither up and reach his mouth. Jubil couldn't get up; he lost all the strength to do so. All he could do was hope his death came quickly.

His thrashings got slower... Slowed down... His body baked like a log, his tendril muscles turning into blackened flecks of ash. Then his movement stopped entirely (disappointing Ge'ni) as the cooked Gen'dai was turned to ash...

The fire died down as the body it burned on was reduced to cinders. By permission, Jubil was surely dead and Ge'ni was ecstatic as he grabbed a last chunk of black flesh and smiled broadly at his masterpiece.

"I damned and purged you of your existence. You'll be forgotten, my friend... Damn and purge... Sounds like a good name to me... In time, when you're forgotten, friend, I'll be hailed as one name: Durge."

Durge grabbed what was left of the body, tug his fingers inside its bloody mass, and underneath what was left of the chest cavity, he found his heart... He starred at Jubil's tubular heart and remembered how Jubil would goad the late Ge'ni to become a _beast_... And he fulfilled his friend's wishes.

He was going back to his village to show all the children his new masterpiece, but not until the monstrous Gen'dai took a _bite_ out of the _heart_, then stowed it away in order to keep it from spoiling. After all, he had to bring home his family _**something**_ to _eat_.

* * *

Anakin's POV

_I don't like sand. The heat. The overwork just to survive the elements. The way all beings had to squander to survive in the opressive void of the desert. With the Sand People squirmishing on any unlucky travelers, those animals! The way in the city; how everone betted on those podraces. And slavery being rampant when the rest of the Republic was against it. I hated the people who lieved on this world, those scum who owned other beings. I hated how so much of my dark past etched with the desert's history. I hated it all, hated the sand, the heat, the burning flames._

_Tatooine was surely a ruthless place._

I had to make sure the ship, the _Twilight_, could at least hover all the way to my stepfamily's homestead in the middle of the desert. The location of the place was so remote that it was like they were trying to hide from the real world.

One thing was for certain. After this adventure, there was no way that I would return to this hellforsaken place again.

With me, was two unwanted companions- I take that back. Numa had the fortitude to save my life in Mos Eisley and return me of my lightsaber. She could be resourceful at the right moment. Jar Jar, on the other hand, shouldn't be here. The only reason he was with me on this mission was because Numa tricked him into taking her to Tatooine, where she knew_ I_ was. How she was able to escape Padme's apartment was unknown to me, but either way, both of these characters were here whether I wanted it or not.

"Olemme monisäikeinen, eivät ole meidän, Nerra." Numa stated, looking towards all sides and seeing nothing but endless desert.

"Yeah." I simply said. "We need to get to the nearest piece of civilization and get this ship fixed." I commented back to her, even though I didn't know what she was saying. It was hard to follow someone who didn't know any other language except Twi'leki.

Jar Jar hid inside the shadows of the _Twilight_. "Why did yousa let the otha ship gosa?" Jar Jar asked Anakin about how he let Terry Bonteri, owner of the _Millenium Falcon_, leave without him requesting any aid since their ship could barely make it off the ground.

"Stupid decision-making, Jar Jar. You want good advice: don't follow my lead."

_I hated being the Chosen One. Hated all the pressure of being an extraordinary sentient when I really was an average person who made more mistakes than most other people. And I was beginning to see the Jedi Order being not how it was cracked up to be. It wasn't the savior as I originally saw it, nearly twenty years ago when I was an intrepid eight years old. There was a restraint on emotions; how is that fair? I couldn't form attachments for those I love. My mother, Padme, Rex, Artoo..., Ahsoka..._

_I used to see Obi-Wan as one of those people I couldn't live without, but after he lied to me just to obey the Code that was **full** of faults, I could not see him as the man I used to view him as._

The heat of the fiery sun, the burning flames that drenched the back of my neck with perspiring sweat, was overbearing. I just grabbed my temples, massaging them to escape the screaming voices that came from the heat.

But they weren't just simple screams that plunge into the depths of my enigmatic brain. The screams grew louder..., and louder..., and louder and louder and louder as it echoed in my head like a chime warbling within a dense cave.

The screams became shrieks and the shrieks became howls as I saw colors streaming by. Closing my eyes, shapes of yellow came, patchwork of black squares like closed eyelids by pressurizing hands. Then, I saw images of Ahsoka being choked by a large mass, a mechanical hand... There was the rebels being enslaved, working in mines, and forced to agonize at their failure in their battle against the Droid Army on Onderon.

_This was no hallucination. It was a vision! The rebels may be doomed to failure._

I snapped out my dream-state and wasted no time to sprint inside my ship.

"Ani, whatsa goin on?" Jar Jar called.

"Don't speak, Jar Jar!" I snarled, anger pulsing through my body. "In fact, don't speak at all while we're on this mission, you got it!?" He didn't answer back.

_I couldn't see Ahsoka die and I'm stuck on the planet that has brought me nothing but pain! I had to get the ship fixed and out of here as soon as possible. Ugh! Why did I turn down Terry's offer!? I need to get off this world soon- no, NOW!_

As I rounded up the ladder to the cockpit, I remembered what Obi-Wan has once told me. 'Dreams pass in time.'

I shook my head. _You were wrong, Master! I see a dream happen, it's what the future holds. It's my duty to **act**, not find a way to **cope**._

"Is everyone inside!?" I shouted out to the other two who were confused at my sudden movement, with the ship trailing in smoke.

I pressed the ignition and my right side experienced a short blaze in fire. "Oh!" I jumped in surprise. And then, as quickly as the flame came, the fire extinguisher that I hung above it blew it out...

_Come on, girl! Don't fail me now! I believe in you!_

"Jätämme nyt?" Numa called out.

"Yeah, we are getting out of here." I said.

I took off with the beaten down ship, desperate to stop the burning flames that may engulf my friends on Onderon...

But I didn't know what was transpiring there...

I didn't know what was worst than pitting ten thousand droids against three-hundred rebels.

But, indeed, the worst was on the way for Snips the Rebel Alliance.

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**Okay, first chapter is up. Most of you are not reading this, so I'll just have to write this through block letters in order to get your attention: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	2. Restless Retreat

**Not a lot of readership and reviews as I was hoping for. To be fair, this probably my fault for making a gap between stories, but I'll accept whatever comes my way. Knowing that people are reading this from around the world should be enough to inspire. With that said, here's your next chapter.**

**Bookreaderninja: Thanks for reviewing and your support**

**Panda: Hey there, guest... You forgot your commas in your grammar. I first would like thank you Bookreaderninja and Johnt12345 for reviewing. After all it was a I suppose great pleasure to read your opinions yeah yeah yeah. Also um you um make me happy to know um um um that someone like you is er out there reading my stories. Keep it I say up.**

**Johnt12345: Thanks, but do you think the story or the length of the story is pretentious?**

**Count Mallet: Sorry if the opening was too dark, but it was to set straight that Durge was an ordinary being who was easily corrupted by the idea of destruction. I found it scary because many people like seeing fire or like to burn things, so, yeah... Just to add a real-life element to a seemingly irrelatable setting.**

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Lux's POV

The war was coming. I held my breath as wind whipped through my hair like I was standing in front of a giant propeller, but still it was calm at the same time. I didn't have to squint as much as I thought I should. I just hung out with my head held high, to try to see over my Ruping's more gargantuous head.

The place I stayed at was like a mild version of Haruun Kal, whose vicious beasts in a viscous jungle was enough to shudder any alien on that planet. But I wasn't any alien. I was an Onderonian. Sure, we had the comforts of home but we also had the temerity to rise up against challenges. To build walls around our gigantic cities. To keep such beasts out of the way or embrace the jungle with all its obstacles.

But then I remembered one person who I have wronged, whom I have quarreled with, yet still express feelings for her. She was one person I may not deserve, as any other outside person may see. I just couldn't change the glaring mistakes I have made in the past. I look back on the past very often, but never have embraced the present to something as equally important. I still wronged that one Jedi.

"Ahsoka?" I sounded out.

The steady flapping of the Ruping's wings didn't bear much of an obstacle on us. A bigger obstacle was heading our way: The Droid Army.

Ahsoka breathed a sigh. "Lux, focus on what is in front of you, not what is behind." She said metaphorically.

"Yes, I just... If I die before gaining a chance to form another real conversation with you, I wish to say this: I apologize for mistreating you, in any way, shape, and form. I apologize for being stupid and losing my golden chances to be in your better nature. Just know that I am sorry..." I smiled faintly. "Steela also..., um..." I sighed, remembering that one time I was alone with her in the Workshop's basement _(a temporary safehouse) when Steela acted jittery by being around me. Acting like she had feelings for me... And there was Cello, who acted similarly when giving me a vocal emulator. So many oddly placed people of the opposite gender that...- I didn't know. I could just be more of an ignoramus as ever._ But either way, I decided to continue with my talk. "S-she acted like she had feelings for me... You're the Jedi, the boss... What should I do a-about that?"

I lifted my head over my shoulder to gaze at Ahsoka, but she jerked her head away from me. "Lux, stop looking up to me for help. I'm sorry, but I'm not perfect. Being labeled as such puts a weight on my back that I-I just don't want."

I turned away, not wanting to make her feel any more awkward. "Ahsoka, I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do. And I'm not labeling you- NEVER... I..., I just want help..." I sighed again, almost an annoying one. "We both pretended the same thing before. That being together will not work out, but we have tried before when the other wasn't ready. I'm sorry, once again, for letting my golden chance to be with you, after that Carlac incident... What I'm saying is that I'm sorry I let that chance of a lifetime slip through me. I shouldn't have. But, now, never in a million days with you would I consider passing up another opportunity with that. If you can give it to me, I'll accept without a doubt. If we're through..., then just say so."

Despite the cool breeze brushing past my face, I tried to keep my eyes from heating up; tried to keep my throat from getting another bothersome lump. I failed at both.

Ahsoka just held my shoulders and placed her head on my back, very briefly. "You just don't understand." She mumbled. "Forget me... Not forever. Just forget about me until the war on this planet is over."

_To 'forget' was something really hard to do, but I had to keep a wary eye on the horizon and realize my true focus should be on the War, as everyone else was_. I took a deep breath, scrunched up my eyebrows, and leaned to the side to get a look ahead. I saw green trees rising high, a jungle milling as far as the eye could see, with an air ripe in the good grounds that laid far below. But still a baking heat that had nothing to do with the noon sun was rising in the West, burning the skin with an ominous miasmas.

Something sinister was coming that had more to do than just the droids of the Confederacy's own 'rebel' forces. It was an evil that may rival that of Dooku, both coming from ordinary people. And when the wave came again, it felt more than evil...

But then I heard it, our match. Down upon us appeared, going down the Great East Road with the resonating pinch of thunder. Very few fears come from nothing short than a _giant_ wave of Separatist droids... Boy, was I in for a shock.

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Steela's POV

My icy glare caught the march of the droids as they came directly our way. Every step they made was like a thud against the very essence of humanity, yet still kept a rhythm like the sound was a noise of a mechanized heart.

_Thunk-clunk thunk-clunk thunk-clunk thunk-clunk._

The sound was invigorating and intimidating.

I landed on top of pinnacle and carried a solemn look towards my fellow countrymen and countrywomen. "The Droid Army is almost here... Everyone, get ready." I told the others, but from the echoing clanks, they all knew what was on the way. Many of the rebels started to feign forward to the sounds, hanging on the sidelines for the Royal Onderonian Guard (aboard their trained dirt-stained Dalgos) to prepare the initial charge.

General Tandin Bonteri was at the helm of all that, just wanting what any clone in the Grand Army of the Republic would want: win the battle with precise accuracy. Behind him stood nearly a hundred other Guard members atop their mounts.

"Ready men!" Tandin made a prep-cry.

I looked down at the army that we had.

_Just volunteers who wanted Onderon to breathe free again. Who wanted Onderon to live a life of isolationism from all the distress of the Clone Wars. There was enough bloodshed on the planet without anymore coming offworld. Plus, the land of my home cannot ground the machinations of the Separatists, whose goal was same to the Republic. They wanted our land as tools and equipment, not as an art._

_We won't have that._

Rebels were preparing guerilla stances, taking visual cover in the bushes along the Road. They were as quiet as a vine cat. Just as deadly. Everything was coming to place. I would see to it that the turning point of this war begins now, miles from the sanctuary of the city of Iziz. Almost a coward's sanctuary, now.

I lifted my comm to my mouth to speak with my brother, now leader of the Beast Riders (most of whom were part of Tandin's militia), in order to start the real war for our home. The men, other than Saw, wore large crests that hung up like the headfin of an ankkox. Either way, Saw picked them out for being experts in throwing shrapnel at enemies. And they were quick learners on their Rupings, as if it weren't a challenge at all. It was like they were revisiting an old memory that their ancestors once had, causing them to think, 'Oh, yeah... I remember that nicer time.'

"Saw, begin your attack." My hand knotted into a tight fist, twitching slightly, ready for a saving grace of the droid's own destruction.

The Rupings launched from a nearby pinnacle, taking to the sky as their limit. They traveled higher and higher to get over the droid's photoreceptor oculus, as high where the wind trails in a breeze before disrupting the peaceful landscape with Saw's furl of a grenade into the middle of the first wave.

Shots rang out, first coming from the rebels as they blasted at the droids there. The droids fired back, but many of them were quickly shot down by repeating turrets hung on the domesticated fambaas and rocky steppes that hung on each side of the trail... Spurts of blaster residue and tibanna gas stench the air as the Dalgo riders charged with a sounding war cry as they, too, attacked the droids using their laser lances. On each side of the Road was also shots from the guerilla rebels as they took out the droids from the sidelines.

But that was only the first wave.

AAT's were coming from behind the first wave, so I did what my sniping skills taught me, ever since I killed that fambaa so many years ago. I hit them right in the head, directly narrowed on their photoreceptors. They fell like dummies as their heads rolled off the open-air tanks. I smiled to myself as I kept on firing down with the second wave of droids...

I felt some nausea with the continuous river of enemy forces but I took a deep breath and continued on with the shooting. _Easy, Steela. At this rate, it will be an easy battle. _There was a feeling of dread inside me as I thought how easy this battle was.

But I realized I was not alone for some of the guerrilla warriors came out of the bushes, shrewdly quiet so that the second wave didn't notice them. They climbed onto the nearby ATT's and did the repeated maneuver that General Skywalker showed us: Drop one EMP grenade into the first hatch the side turrets, and then another on the higher hatch, the one that controlled the main gun. As soon as they slipped back as quickly as they came, a spark of blue energy came out and zapped the entire tank into a standstill, with the their controls (and controllers) fried.

The furl of the second wave kept coming as Saw rounded a corner and threw another grenade under an MTT with ease. As it exploded, shards pierced the oncoming ATT's and droidekas. The explosion inspired the guerilla fighters down below for they gave a decent cheer for their friends to the sky.

Saw was leading the three other riding militiamen..., when _it_ happened.

In the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a blue cloud against a blue sky, but I dismissed it as a far away bird... What I didn't see was four novel gunships came in as the Separatist sneak-attack, as they fired on a straggling Beast Rider who then fell from the sky...

Then they swooped down and destroyed Lorry Jaco's turret with their electromagnetic pulses..., along with her. It was then that my eye caught her death; when I gave a shout of grief, "NO!"

I didn't know what hit them and it appeared that Lux had the exact same thought. "Where did that come from!?" He shouted out, scouring the sky for an aerial droid. I too looked right to find the missing weapon that ambushed us... I saw nothing.

Then I heard the Jedi point ahead, high above the Road. "There!"

It was a new gunship that the Separatists decided to use on us! The gunship had a circular design with two blasters on each flat end of its body. The head had the menacing shape of a bug, perhaps a Killik, and carried two ball-jointed turrets with a main turret in between. All in all, it was a menacing sight, especially its telltale warbling sound of an internal propeller (which I presumed is what helps keep it off the ground).

But regardless of the design of the ship, I started to fire at it, aiming for its photoreceptors. Unfortunately, they did nothing but dissipate into the shield with a purple varnish. I growled and kept firing, feeling my end was coming._ Come on, Steela! Charge the shot more longer, don't just squeeze the trigger repeatedly!_

Either way, it did nothing for the gunship continued to block every bolt I gave it. "Any ideas?" I sound with infinite worry.

"Yeah..." Ahsoka glared at the danger that was racing towards us. It was a decision that seemed entirely logical for the pressing situation. "Run!"

* * *

Third Person's POV

At first, chaos erupted with the rebels continuing to fight against the droids, but spiked by fear of the newcoming gunships. Lux and Ahsoka sprinted to their Ruping, Lux clamoring first as he aided Ahsoka directly afterwards. Steela had a more daring task since her Ruping was already flying to try to avoid the gunships EMP as it blasted its way into the wall, trying to destroy the edges to knock them down. But despite its look, the whimsical rock formation would not falter.

Steela jumped off the cliff, grabbed onto the leg of her Ruping like a pull-up bar, and swung with its movement as she held on to dear life. Seeing their leader falling back (and the fact that the menacing threat was to much to bear now) the rebels started to retreat with Steela...

A second Beast Rider tried to avoid the programmed machine with her steady training, but it wasn't enough for the one gunship shot her down. Saw was still flying as he tried to regroup his Ruping at a nearby pinnacle, with the reptavian giving a weary holler.

"It's okay, girl. We're going to make it out of this." Saw tried to calm the Ruping, but he was in distress too. And having to dodge an incoming EMP blast was not helping the throe... He ducked from the falling rocks of the pulse's miss before looking up to glare at his oppressor, as the droid went on to aim for the third Ruping-rider, blasting him like a fly.

Saw took a sigh as he realized that the rebels were suddenly losing this battle. _'I may not be a leader, but I'm leading this fight'. _Saw thought to himself.

At first, Saw was planning on getting revenge on the droid, but instead heard a scream off to his far right... The rebels were in full retreat from a fourth gunship, but even that one droid was electrocuting most of them down, while blasting others with their five blaster emplacements. Saw, like Steela, growled under his breath._ 'We are not cannon-fodder! We will win this day!'_

Grenade in hand, Saw glided down to the gunship and threw his weapon at its shell, like he did with the MTT.

However, the grenade (despite being more potent than a blaster bolt) was not enough to pierce its shield... The gunship recognized the attack, with so little touching it, and started firing EMP at Saw, quickly knocking him off his ride.

With his Ruping dead and nearly all of the militia falling to the gunship's might, his only hope was Tandin. He rode to Saw's aide once more, succinctly gave his laser lance to grab, and pulled him on to his Dalgo. The two rode off with the rest of the restless retreat.

The Rebel Army was falling and although they _would_ have made corrosive damage on the droids, they could not gain success that time because of the gunship's arrival... It was a failure for the ones out in the open; even the guerilla fighters that hung inside the brush were wiped out by acrobatic BX commandos.

The _attack_ was a _fail_.

* * *

Durge ordered the gunship to place him down on the ground as he relished the sight of the destruction before him. He lifted his comm to give orders on the leading automaton out there.

"Droid, friend... I see your status was a success... These drones are proving effective in wiping out those terrorists."

The BX-series commando carried a monotone vocabulator. "Yes, sir. The rebels were not trained to fight our Heavy Missile Platform gunships. They are proving to be most useful."

Durge chuckled in his robotic voice, to quite suddenly shifting the subject. "I ordered EMP for a reason... It's meant to knock them out, _not_ kill him... I'll be arriving at the battlefield shortly to..., take care of them... Other than that, progress your counter-retreat... This world will burn!"

There was no way the droid could comprehend such bloodlust, but Durge has outlived even Yoda's wise years. He knew what he was doing and he loved every second of it.

"Yes, sir." The droid simply stated.

Once the comm piped, Durge looked out in the distance as he saw the rebels carry out their restless retreat. Before he knew what he was doing, since he usually acts on instinct, Durge changed the dial to call his recently-cured assassin.

A couple beeps went by as he waited for him to pick up his comm. Obviously, Kidd Kareen was hesitant, but he knew he couldn't keep the maniacal Gen'dai waiting. "Mhm, yes, M-my L-l-lord." He stuttered in his boyish voice, deftly afraid of dealing with Durge.

"Ah, Kidd... You're such a kid. Don't be worried around me... We are on the same omniscient side, are we not?"

Kidd was much more quicker to answer that time. "Yes, Durge. Of course, Durge."

Durge smiled. If anyone could see his mouth under his mask, they would see a slim fracture full of needles. "Good boy... So how would you want me to bring her to you...? Your mate?"

"Would - you - stop - calling - her - that!" Kidd roared on the other side.

Durge gave a mocking sigh. "Of course, my boy. I wouldn't wish you to feel _uncomfortable_ of your current preoccupation... How do you want me to bring her to you? Alive, I'm guessing? Scarred- now that would be a prize for me."

Kidd held back tears in his eyes as he finally realized what he put himself in. Whether out of despair or desperation, he took on the job with the idea to split Lux up from Ahsoka. Now, however, he saw that as fool's errand. Ever since his disguise was revealed to Ahsoka, he felt like his purpose was a failure. There was nearly no way for him to win her back anymore, so his enslavement to the evil warlord was fruitless... So it would appear...

"Actually..." Kidd started out. "Let me get her. Let me capture her." Whether he was planning on deceiving or upholding Durge was unknown to Kidd, but he tried his best to make his tone sound genuine. "Let me teach her of her mistake." Kidd slammed his mouth to a tight close as he grabbed his lekku for what little comfort he can possess.

"Ah..." Durge resounded. "A predator for his prey? Your rising to my level, young one. Welcome."

And with that, Durge silenced the device, strapped it back on his belt, and looked for unconscious rebel stragglers to prey on. To his eyes, what was waiting for him could only be compared as a feast.

* * *

**Oh, you must hate me by now... You must hate me for my cliffhangers in every chapter. Yeah, yeah. It's a fetish. I'll say that before you do.**

**Anyhow, hope this chapter was insightful and enjoyable to read. If it was, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! If it wasn't..., *hesitates*... REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	3. The Sands of Time

**Hey guys... Quick update here..., than usual... Anyways, I just mapped out an interesting character arc for Anakin, coming up in these next couple of chapters, so I hope you enjoy that when it comes around. Other than that, it's kind of nostalgic writing about the Rebel Alliance before it was a Rebel Alliance, considering that eventually, there will be the REBELS series that explains the forming of the Rebel Alliance, and I hope they bring in A LOT of The Clone Wars characters. It'll make the series feel like a ****_continuation_****. Not that any of us should expect it in the first season since it'll probably detail the ****_new_**** characters. But other than that, I will quote the slogan for the upcoming show: JOIN THE REBELLION.**

**And yes, I do have a love/hate relationship with the Rebels series, but that's another conversation.**

**Jedipadawan123: Soon enough?**

**TripleThreat123: Cheerio, ol' chap.**

**Panda: Don't sweat it about the grammar, I was joking around. Glad for your continual support.**

* * *

Anakin's POV

The _Twilight_ clunked around in midair as I tried to control it from scraping the ground. It was continuously a difficult task for it to stop brushing against the scalding sands of Tatooine. I had a lot riding on fate, the sands of time. I always had. I'm the Chosen One. Every fiber of my body wanted to erase the fact I was the Chosen One..., except without the potential of being the Chosen One, I would never have been a Jedi...

I would continue, forevermore, as a slave..., back to Tatooine, with millions of other slaves... _Oh, how I dreamed of coming back to free the slaves, but I have no power here... Just going to a few nostalgic places brings pain into me... My mother... My mother died here... If it weren't for those Hutts, Gardulla, I would never have lost her. We could have been free people, leaving this dreadful place, and make our lives have meaning. Even the Jedi has held me back... No, I just couldn't free the slaves. I was naïve. Maybe they should suffer like I suffered._

But even if I hated this place and wish to remember only the cruel portions of my childhood, this was and will be my home. I could never forget the homecoming feeling of when I left hyperspace right in front of this dirt-brown world, lit up by the Tatoo system's twin suns._ Yes, it was home... Home... I hated and loved my home just as I hate and love myself. I'm despicable. I'm benevolent. I'm just destined to carry a dark heart. I'm destined to enlighten the galaxy into a whole new way._

I remember very little of what happened on Mortis, perhaps not enough to detail my fate, but I remembered one thing. The most powerful users of the Force, who manipulated the Force through what happens in their lives, believed I was the Chosen One... They were gods, in all sense of the term. I remember that collective dream that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka shared with me that was surprisingly realistic... It wasn't real. It's how I'll forever label that experience... But the message must be somewhere in that dream. The message must be a vision that is symbolically interpreted... I had no clue what to make out of it. Whether I was stupid and naïve as I have been when I first left this dustball, I could never formulate the meaning my dream had, the secrets of Mortis and, therefore, the secrets of the Force.

I continued to fly straight, brushing the ground since my ship's underside wing was broken in the cataclysm at Beggar's Canyon... In ways, I should be able to fix this ship like I do with fixing my life. I fix my life when I won the Boonta Eve podrace... _I'm a fool. Everything I fix eventually breaks... Like the fact that I did nothing but fix droids in my childhood. In adulthood, I just break droids apart. Showing I'm just like a droid: I have no heart or soul. I'm selfish... All I am is selfish. I want this Clone War nightmare to end! I want to breathe in clean air again, not the stormy combustion of battlefield waste..._

Proving the life the Jedi means nothing meaningful as it used to be. I enjoyed the Clone Wars early on, but I'm older now. It's eating away at me like it is with every other Jedi... Like with Barriss..., and Padme..., and maybe even Ahsoka... I never seen the effects this war is having on my padawan, but if it's there..., I'm blind of her true emotional capacity just as I am with my own.

My dreams are high but I have broken wings.

"Ani..." Jar Jar was trying to be quiet for once, trying to sit far away from me as he could... He was scared. Like me. "Ani, howsa we gonna get off this planet...? Yousa have a plan..., or nosa?"

I closed my eyes, thinking of how I should answer that. I had no plan; only a source that may be foolish to believe in... I can't rely on anyone these days. _Not the Jedi. Not me. Not even my friends. I cry invisible 'tears' that gets no one watching me._

"No, Jar Jar... We are alone in this mess and all I have for an answer is to trust the Force... I am - may be - the Chosen One. As the Chosen One..., that I may be..., I'll find a way off this planet, even if it is a grueling way... Just stay to the side and let me solve these problems."

I saw a figure of a domed hut looming on the horizon... We were close. I had a certain method on how to meet my stepfamily, who had no knowledge of the Force as I did. "Alright..." I called out to the crew. "We are going to set her down. I don't wish to scare them with a spice freighter appearing out of nowhere."

I blinked a few times before craning my neck to crack the stress off in knotted places. I did little since my whole body was sore from this war. I blinked a few times again, before holding out my lightsaber, stroking it with more deep thought. _This weapon is my life. Always keep it close... What a selfish maxim. A lightsaber was crude in many ways. Obi-Wan should know better._

"Okay..." I started over. "I'll go out to meet them... Numa, Jar Jar... Just follow me... And Jar Jar-"

"I wonna tuch anyting."

I sighed in some irritation. "I believe it won't stop you from destroying anything... But try to be better at making good first-impressions."

"I always trysa to changin, Ani... Always... I justa can't stop bein mesa."

I nodded... "Neither can I stop me being me." I admitted with a nod, before getting off the worn leather chair and out into the hot sunset air.

* * *

I had a hand over my eyes to keep the twin suns out while I walked closer to my home. Every step was pain due to the fact my whole boot would sink into the sand and I would have to drag it out with fervent aggression. Then another step... And another step... Another. Another. Another. Another... It was like this place was trying to make me fall to the Dark Side. After the hundredth step, I started pounding the sand with one foot, arching up my knee, and slapping it down with cold hatred of the hellbiting, torrid, remorseless sand.

"You can't get very far with boots like those." A person called out.

It was _Beru_ Lars.

"Hello there." I rasped with exhaustion. My head was tired from thinking and worry and my body was tired from moving around. _I needed rest. For four years I've been drowning, cornered from this war..., and I didn't even know it until now. Yes, now! Like I said, I'm naïve as ever._

"Anakin... Am I correct...? You're my husband's stepbrother...?" She trudged through the sand to get closer to me... Looking down, I noticed she was wearing bantha boots with the soles made of their hooves, slightly wide to even out pressure, and abled to walk more comfortably amongst the oppressive sands.

"That's right... Mrs. Lars..." I simply said.

"It's alright if you don't remember me. Most traders and dealers don't recall me..., but my name is _Beru_. I remember you. You're the one who retrieved your mother's body."

I showed a slightly-obvious grit of my teeth. "Yeah..." I said almost sarcastically, "And I did nothing else before that."

She nodded, mainly offputed by my stern tone-of-voice, but welcomed me to the homestead nonetheless. "Here, I'll have you get reacquainted with Owen... And you can introduce your friends too."

I kept mouth at a small slit, devoid of real emotions at the moment. _I knew this would take time to get off this rock, but I have to warn Ahsoka as soon as possible, and there is NO WAY TO DO SO RIGHT NOW!_ "Okay, yeah... I'm coming." I stuttered.

Looking to my right, I saw my mother's grave... Immediately, I was hit be a shockwave of guilt. Guilt of what I have _couldn't _done and what I _did_ there. I saw me slicing down warriors of all kinds, killing the Sand People that took away my mother and tortured her needlessly. From the rocky caves to the open plains of the Jundland Wastes, I remember the wave of slashes I made, taking out people, but I didn't stop there. I went for all the civilians in that village, who just let the kidnapping of my mother go like it was a normal occurrence... It only took a tug on my sleeve to realize I've been pitted in my guilt.

It was Numa who was pulling on my arm. "_Jatkoa nainen, Nerra._"

I nodded. "Thanks for waking me up, child."

The hut wasn't actually the home of the Lars, but rather there was another set of stairs that led down into a sinkhole that was the _real_ homestead. Down there were many closed doors that undoubtedly led to many other rooms, but there were a few open alcoves like a dinning table and kitchen, and a small walkway that led to a droid repair station... I remember when I was there, when I told Padme about the slaughter I made. I didn't tell her how conflicted I was, but I _was conflicted_ about my actions, as I am with about all actions I partake. Naturally, she felt extremely aback at my confession, but she supported me all the same... _I just wonder how far I go before she stops supporting me._

Again, memories of my past went racing through the turmoil of my mind; a mind I knew was corrupt, but I didn't know how to fix it, no matter how hard I try...

'I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men..., not just the women..., but the children, too. They're like animals and I slaughtered like _animals_... I _hate_ them.'

I breathed again, trying to cure the guilt of killing so many. The pain of not having the power or the restraint to live a decent life... Was it the Jedi's fault? Should they let me explore all the assets of the Force so I can be the Chosen One, or would they treat me like a normal being when all this time Qui-Gon has built up that I'm destined for great things...?

"Owen, Honey! Guests are here!" Beru called and out from the droid repair station came a man with chestnut-brown hair and beard... It was like I was staring at myself, if I modeled my look after Obi-Wan... Sand laid on his head as if he came back from the beach, with it stuck on every strand of hair like dew drops on grass... _Oh, how I preferred the feeling of grass over sand._

He nodded, recognizing me, before grabbing my hand with one arm and wrapping the other around me. "I never thought I'd see my brother ever again... Well, stepbrother, of course..." He looked down, placing his hands on his waist, slightly shy of making greetings with me. "Cliegg Lars is dead... It happened just after you left last time... We assumed it was from a broken heart..."

He looked up at me again and I assumed he was expecting me to say something. "It's great to meet my 'brother' again." I said unnecessarily acidly. "But I'm in a hurry, I'm afraid."

"Your ship." Beru came out from behind me as she decided to step to the left side of Owen and place her hands on his shoulder, resting her head on his arm. "I saw it on the horizon when you came in. It's beaten up, alright. Smoke is trailing from the rear."

"Yes, and I need to find communications to repair it."

Owen gave a frank frown. "You're lucky to arrive here when you did... Our communications can only reach out as far as Tosche Station or Anchorhead. It can piggyback from there to Mos Eisley or Mos Espa or Jabba's Palace, but-."

I heard my knuckles crack at the sound of the last suggestion, clearly noticeable by them. "Sorry." I simply stated. "But I don't like Hutts." Then I chose to admit something about my past (after all, they were family). "Me and my mother were slaves to them at one time."

Oddly enough, Numa seemed to understand one word I said. "Slave." She quickly spoke in Basic... I looked back at her, but as quickly as I heard that, I turned away. Of all the words she could say in Basic, 'slave' was the last one.

"And who are these two friends of yours?" Owen gestured to the others.

I lifted up to Jar Jar first. "This is Jar Jar Binks."

"A Gungan." Beru had a sympathetic look. "It must be hard for you to be out here since you're used to moist climates? Is that correct, Jar Jar?"

"Mesa skin is no usen to this weather." He admitted.

"Sorry if he breaks anything of yours. He's clumsy, but that's the way he his... I'm sure he'll try his best to behave." I gave a knowing look at him.

"Mesa done nothin yet!" He lifted up his arms to hide his amphibian face.

"And the other one," I lowered my opposite arm down to Numa's height. "is Numa Kareenta."

The little one pointed to me, then to Owen. "_Nerra, Nerra_."

"Yeah, she'll say that a lot."

Owen smiled. "I'm guessing she only speaks Twi'leki?"

"So it would seem." I tilted my head in a shrug.

"We got a translator droid in the repair station, mainly to speak Bocce, but let me ask a few questions for the Twi'lek." He bent down to get at eye-level with her. It took not very long for me to realize he wanted to joke with her.

"What's your name?"

"_Nerra_."

"What's your favorite color?"

"_Nerra_."

"What's the name of your homeplanet?"

"_Nerra_."

"What color is the sky?"

"_Nerra_"

Owen lifted his hand. "How many fingers do I have?"

"_Nerra_."

"Can you say anything else but '_Nerra_'?"

"_Voin sanoa paljon asioita Ryl, narttu_."

Although we didn't know what she was saying, everyone laughed at her reaction to the last question (Jar Jar fell over chortling).

I was having a fun time with my methodical family that I actually felt I could endure this dustball if all I had to do was spend times with loved ones instead of see slavery and Raiders on a global scale...

But it didn't take too long for the good times to end, when there was pain in my head... There was a ringing in my ears that no one else could hear. It grew louder, and softer, and even more louder like static on a comm channel. I saw flashing lights with my eyes open, for my mind was playing tricks with me. It was as if my own body was fighting against me having a 'good time'. I heard voices in my head...

_Ahsoka's_ voice. "You didn't even try to help me."_ What did she mean by that? Was it because I'm stuck here that I could not help her?_

The vision continued inside a viaduct, with light shining from an opening on Ahsoka's side... Then I heard _my_ voice. "They wouldn't let me to talk with you." _Who? The Jedi? The Republic? How was I being ostracized?_

My head rocked as I continued to watch the scene from an omnicent point-of-view. "You could have if you tried!" She exclaimed.

Then there was a swirl of color as the image became unclear now. "You're not helping... You never were there for me." Her voice said and from the swirl of hues, there came a brightness as all the colors faded white... It was like looking straight at the Tatooine's noon suns... Then there was a silhouette of a oval-shaped rope... _A noose!_

"Why weren't you there for me when I needed you." She said. _No, it wasn't Ahsoka that time... It was Padme!_

I opened my eyes again to find I was in a trance. Looking around, the others saw me having a fit in the middle of the conversation... I knew I was limited in the time I could spend here... _Ahsoka's or Padme's life was in danger... In the future... Some way or another, one of them is going to die if I don't act soon!_

A sweat drop fell from the side of my head as Beru handed me a cup blue milk. "I saw you- we all saw you muttering incoherently- Here, drink." She motioned me, and I sipped into the bantha milk, sputtering a little (probably due to my mind being focused on the vision).

"I need to call Anchorhead... Someone needs to fix my ship, NOW!"

"The spice freighter?" Beru lifted an eyebrow.

"Of course the 'spice freighter'! What other ship did it look like I had!?"

The two took a couple steps back from my outburst.

Owen appeared dour. "I'm afraid no one is able to leave or send a message until that sandstorm is gone."

I looked to the sky and while I could hear the wind howling, I didn't think it would block out a message if I were to send it right now.

"Well, what if I send it immediately...? Just to schedule someone tor repair my ship?"

"Can't..." Owen was frank again. "Sorry I didn't clarify earlier, but the sandstorm is coming from the North... There's no leaving until dawn..., or until the sandstorm finishes."

I waited for a minute to let that sink in... I couldn't get Ahsoka right now, warn her about the danger on her..._ A mechanical hand grasping her neck... She was dying... Or was I seeing the visions wrong? Was it who Padme dying?_

Yoda said to me 'Visions not always reveal the future. Sometimes, they tell a lot more about you than what's around you." Maybe I'm being paranoid and taking the visions seriously, but I wasn't one to wait around to see if they were true or not...

I sighed... It looks like I'll have to.

"I'll get some shuteye... Perhaps I'll wake up earlier tomorrow when the storm is past."

"Either way, we _got_ to take shelter." Owen commented. "But don't you want to have dinner before you go to sleep."

"No thanks, er, brother..." I turned to the Gungan. "Jar Jar, you should get some sleep too before you disturb these people too much."

But that just got him going. "Mesa said nothin! Mesa done nothin! Am Isa really that trouble?"

I didn't answer him. I had a mind to put to rest... There was so much at stake with the future... But whatever happens, good or bad, I'm still the Chosen One... Or I am not. _Annoyingly_, I still didn't know.

* * *

Lux's POV

"That battle may have been fruitless, but the war isn't over, ladies and gentlemen." Steela spoke to the rebels, being their anointed leader. "Our goal is to regroup and retreat, not in the direction of the Nest, but in a place that will throw them off..." She sighed, her hair not the usual upward braids, but instead shaggy from the natural elements of the battlefield and maybe her own distress. "Any ideas?"

Tandin walked forward, still possessing the held-back grit since I first saw him... He looked at me really quickly, then back to the other rebels. "We can always move North... There's not as much cover as in the Eastern Highlands, but there are rock formations there to allow us to perform guerilla tactics... But we can't do much against their gunships."

Everyone muttered fears about dealing with the ships again. Last time, they couldn't spot any weakness..., except... "We need better weapons from the Grand Army of the Republic." One shouted out.

"And some drinks to wash the stress away." One tried to joke, but others glared at him. The situation they were in was not a joking matter.

Saw turned to Ahsoka, trying to input the heavy weapons request. "Can't the Republic send better grenades or blasters for us...?"

Ahsoka frowned. "I doubt the Jedi will send anymore weapons than the ones we already have."

"In other words, we're on our own." Saw huffed, then turned back to Steela, as if she had the solution. Only, she was as stumped as everyone else.

"Let's see if we can ambush **_just_ **the gunships..." Another suggested. "Eventually, we will find a weakness."

Steela shook her head. "We will lose too much of our fighting force by then."

"We can't just avoid them forever." The same one reminded.

Steela continued to sigh, moving around to give her fellow soldiers pats on the shoulder, for their honorary trial of the First Battle for Onderon. "We have fewer numbers, decimated morale, and a lost element of surprise... We must retreat North until we get a strategy _or_ until the droids find us."

"What good would that?" I blurted out.

Steela looked at me with longing, but famished, eyes, withering their glow from the First Battle... "We must lead them away from the base to the North... That's the purpose of our retreat."

"How will they know where we're going, if we're distracting them away from the Nest?" Saw questioned the plan.

It was then that I took my pistol and with a foolish action, fired a flare straight into the air... "They can't detect life scans because of how much the jungle is full of life... Otherwise, we are leaving a bread crumb trail... For them to eventually fall into a trap."

Steela rushed up to hug me, wrapping her arms in a clamping hold... "Lux, you're brilliant."

Then, I felt something in Ahsoka that I didn't expect... Jealousy..., or attachment... I didn't expect it to be so sporadic.

"Take a few steps back, Miss Gerrera." Ahsoka hissed.

I smiled at Ahsoka...

But she didn't return the smile... Instead, she used the Force to make me face forward again, as Steela paced away from me...

I looked around, looked at the awkward position we were in... I forgot how much we were pressed for time. "Alright..." I muttered. "The gunships will be here soon... Let's," I hiccupped, "let's run..." At first, they did not move... _What, did they not remember the telltale flare?!_ "Run!"

We all ran on the soft ground, on our way to the northern steppes... A few minutes later, the gunships arrived at the flare... They used a life detecting scan on the surrounding area, but nature was camouflaging, and on the rebel's side... There was just too much life on the planet to pinpoint where the rebels may be.

* * *

Anakin's POV

I woke up with a sudden lurch, only to hear a _howling_ winds outside... It was the sandstorm... And it was still night... I fell right _back_ to sleep.

* * *

I had a dream about the Republic... At first, it started off as a glorious dream with it protecting systems from the evil Separatists... I say it that way because the dream was black-and-white at first, as if it were simplistic in how the Republic did what it did... Like I said, the Republic was _glorious_...

I couldn't remember much of the middle section for some random images started to appear. As ludicrous as it sounded, I dreamed of the Jedi Council being made up of squid or crustacean kind of creatures... And so were all the Jedi at the Temple...

"Rakata is what we do, Rakata is how we do, Rakata is why we're here..." The Jedi would hymn.

Then came voices of the dream, warbled with an alien infrasonic bellowing... But that was just the strange part. I couldn't make much out of the gibberish...

But then, images became clear and less random... I dreamed the Jedi Council were a bunch of Tusken Raiders, belching out their dialogue in hideous warbles... It was awful... I shook in my sleep...

_Screams_ came! "Anakin, you are guilty!"

The dream turned into a courtroom where Ahsoka was the Judge and six younglings made up the Council... "Guilty!" One said, a Rodian. "He killed men, women, and children. May the families of those he murdered execute him."

"Guilty!"

"Guilty!"

"Guilty! You're **not** a Jedi!" Came the Jury.

Then the dream transformed into a nightmare where the Tuskens took over the Hutt palaces on Tatooine and took all their slaves... In my dream, they were slavers.

Then I saw a tower bells resonating in my ear.

I turned around, and a Tusken mother appeared. "Anakin, I'm you're mother! Why would you do this to me!?"

Then I saw Tuskens making up the Jury I saw a few moments ago.

"Guilty. He's a thief and a liar!"

Then came the chorus of the Jurors' "Guilty!"

Then the roof opened up and sand filled in... I realized I was in a _hourglass, possessing the sands of time_, with the clouds echoing not lightning, but "Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty!"

I suffocated on the sand before catching a glimpse of a _dark-cladded Sith in a dark mask!_

* * *

I woke up in a cold sweat...

It might have been odd, but I could hear no more winds... The sandstorm must have stopped... But my mind wasn't focused on that...

Somehow or another, I knew something terrible had happened. In the Force, even though I didn't see it nor did I have a vision of it, I knew exactly what had happened.

"Numa!" I gasped, lunging forward, off the bed, and from my drowsy slumber. "NUMA IS _GONE_!"

* * *

**Weird dream, conflicted Anakin, slow dialogue? I know what a lot of you are screaming about: Where is the Luxsoka!? **

**Patience, it will come... Right now, I'm writing an epic about Anakin in the Onderon plot, even if it's a sidestory, but I'm loving every second of it... I know it's not Luxsoka yet, but just wait, be patient, and I hope you're enjoying this subplot as much as I am. **

**I also hope that you all REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	4. Kidding Oneself

**Hey guys... Sorry for the wait... I know these are quicker updates than what fans usually get on fanfiction, but I still don't update enough... Even if I could update every day, it's just not enough... Well, I wish to say that I'm going through some nostalgia since I'm becoming excited for the Rebels series... It feels like I was a little preteen, getting excited for the Clone Wars, and look where that has taken all of us. In the end, I don't think the Clone Wars will ever die, even if there isn't a single story or fanfic continuing that masterpiece because one things for sure... We have the memory of the series and even if it died, and we grieved and sobbed (and many of us are still grieving) it will _never_ die... Like Yoda said in the last episode of the series, "Through this path, victory we may find; not victory in the Clone Wars, but victory in all times."**

**What do I mean by that, I don't know! But it's a darn good quote, that is.**

**Guest: Thank you... Anakin will have an interesting character arc coming up... *shrugs* Just something to tease.**

**TripleThreat123: Glad you love it... Seems like it can't be more motivational than that. No, it is... Your reviews are important to me, so never stop and always keep it up.**

* * *

Lux's POV

Running took a lot out of me... The soft dirt muffled the footsteps as the rebels continued to race away from every flare we would fire up... Every couple of klicks and another flare would fire into the twilight sky... It was foolish to think of victory in regaining Onderon, but 'even the most foolish of plans carry hope to succeed'... Or was it, 'even with foolish plans, one must hope they could succeed'? I couldn't remember. All I cared about was running, even with the sore under my ribs from the constant work of my lung's diaphragm.

_Huff-huff, huff-huff, huff-huff._

I kept on breathing at a rapid pace, still not fully used to the aerobic exercise of a plan I had made; the one regarding leaving a breadcrumb trail of flares to lead the droids away from the Ruping's Nest. It was a foolish plan but I kept on puffing for Ahsoka, not because I wanted to impress her but to prove that I can fight hard under pressure... _Wait, wouldn't that mean 'wanting to impress'?_

My mind was dizzy, but I still shook away the unnecessary thoughts I carried that gave way to even a larger headache. My brain had a heartbeat of its own and I swear it had twice the heat as the rest of my body. I opened my hands to see dirt, not only clogged inside my fingernails, but also inside the slits of my palms. I tried brushing it out, but then I noticed dust from the battlefield caked my hands like flour that it became frivolous to persist cleansing my hands

Ahsoka kept to the back, making sure everyone, or me, was running fast enough to avoid droid detection.

I didn't want to appear weak, but that always seems to go without saying.

"Are you, _huff-huff_, feeling alive, 'Soka, _huff-huff_?"

I kept running into mud, unexpectedly sinking deeper into the ground than I hoped most my steps would take. It didn't matter anymore. The bottom of my boots had a lace of mud, like it was part of the sole... I just had to keep running through the jungle, sometimes snagged into sharp, wild plants, but always pushing my way out of the holdup... I was becoming more used to all these natural obstacles every second. It may be my home, but I usually explored the jungles of Onderon by air, mainly to keep away from the "Great Beasts" (as folklore says) that lie, breeding, in the swamps and tropics.

"Never better." Ahsoka gasped for breath. "You seem optimistic, _huff-huff_, while we're in retreat."

"Yep." I kept breathing in-between sentences. "This my home... Nothing can bring me down."

Ahsoka turned on her lightsaber, however, right when there was a blaster that shot from behind... Ahsoka, without thinking, lunged behind (everyone else tucked their heads and scrambled so they weren't immaculate target) and tore through a droid... I heard bush rustling, then another slash for I also heard sparks shooting out of the droid, along with a spill of Manpha oil out of its skeleton.

Looking back, I saw Ahsoka standing over a commando droid.

"GO!" She yelled, "I'll see if I can sense other scouts coming our way!"

I wondered if a droid was harder to sense in the Force because it was a machine... I don't know why, but I always thought Jedi could only sense other Jedi because they had a strong connection in the Force. _Who am I to judge? Clearly, I didn't know the aspects and limitations of a Jedi's 'superpower'_.

Eventually, Ahsoka caught back up to us... From all the panting I heard behind me, I could tell it was wrong to disturb her with more conversation.

* * *

When we found the River of Idin, we stopped to catch our breath.

"It's too bad that the Great Beasts of our tales don't stipulate 'Animals of the Wild' eating curious _droids_... Always in the stories, it was curious _people_." One rebel said, the same one who tried to make a joke earlier... At least, now, he was veering away from black humor, though barely... No one laughed... They just nodded their heads...

Stepping into the large river, I dipped my hands in the _surprisingly_ warm water (surprising because most rivers near the Eastern Highlands were _cold_).

I looked at Ahsoka as she too dipped her toes into the riverbank to wash her face. She would scoop water up and splash it against her face... I chose to sit on a nearby rock, putting the pressure of one arm on my right knee. "Finally decided to feel the water..." I chuckled, reminding her of the Great Lake of Ondari. _She refused to touch the icy water but not the creepy crystals. Pfft, typical woman. _

I had fun as I splashed her, in which Ahsoka jerked her hand to the side, sending a wave of water to drench me... _Well, playing with a Jedi wasn't fair for a non-Force-user!_

"Say, that wasn't nice." I grumbled in clown-like way.

"Stay chirpy, Lux." Ahsoka groaned... "You're in a deep predicament, as you should know."

I closed my eyes, with them throbbing with longing. "Obviously, yes."

"Yes, but it isn't obvious, Lux."

I just nodded...

Once everyone washed up and filtered some drinking water from the river, we headed out... We were only there for three minutes, but that's the time it takes when one is on the run... The hard part was crossing a tile of neatly placed rocks (though, it HAD to be next to a precarious waterfall) to get to the other side.

"Alright," Steela called out. "Children of Onderon! My brothers and sisters! Move out!"

What we didn't know that to head North meant hitting a cliff ridge that went five-hundred standard feet up and was almost a hundred klicks long...

Though the River of Idin stopped the droid advance, that didn't stop the movement of a certain assassin that lurked from abaft.

A few _hours_ into the night and we will be _trapped_!

* * *

We trudged on, through mud and sand, through overbearing sunshine to pounding rain. It was a nightmare to get away from the Droid Army.

I looked around to see the foliage that surrounded me... "The jungle is like you, Ahsoka..." I took a gamble by patting her shoulder... "It's beautiful and deadly..., deadly to your enemies, I mean."

Ahsoka smiled in feint... "Why don't you stop complimenting me, Lux...? You just want me to put my guard down and then take advantage with our relationship, if it exists... What is that you want from me?"

I gulped, not wanting so little to spawn into an inertial problem. "Sorry, I shouldn't- Well, since you ask," I answered my question hastily so she didn't feel like pausing would give time for me to lie... I wasn't lying either... I just wanted to stay on her good side. "Your love..., and your acceptance that comes with that."

Ahsoka didn't nod, she held saddened eyes, like a part of her wanted to give in to me and another part said to stay away. "Well, from what I've seen in men thus far, you're all the same... You have a surplus on charm and shortage on proving there's anything else... You're charming, but you prove that you would go to whatever end to have me... Own me, is that it?"

I was holding out my arms in self-defense. "No, never... Why? What would make you think that...? Oh, I'm so clumsy on showing that I care... I'm doing it the wrong way; I get it... But why are you so unsure on what I really want?"

A blast shot through Ahsoka's montrals, grazing them... At first, the sudden shot threw me off of what was going on, but when more shots came, I knew it must have been another scout!

"Everyone down, weapons out!" Steela shouted, with some rebels already firing at where the shot came from. Steela grabbed her electrobinoculars to gaze at the bush, to see where it came from... I took cover behind a tree, and fired pistols at that same direction.

Then, everyone froze, blasters at the ready... There was silence, angling at where the assassin may have gone, but there was no rustling in the bushes to signal footsteps. Nor was there crackle of leaves where he may step... There was silence as they pointed blasters in the trajectory that the elusive shot came from.

_Wasn't a very good shot, though. It ludicrously went between the horns on Ahsoka's head. Who could miss like that? Not a droid... An amateur..._

"It's him." Ahsoka nearly growled when she said that.

"Who?" I lifted an eyebrow as we whispered.

"Someone from my past... An old friend..., who's now trying to kill me."

"Kill you?"

"Or just hurt me!" She snarled in whisper. I backed down from asking pointless questions while a killer was on the prowl.

But in the talk, Ahsoka was still avoiding a key ingredient on the person's identity... Conversely, Ahsoka also seemed to understand the person and his tactics.

"He's above us, I can sense it."

"But you couldn't sense a shot _incoming_?"

_"Not_ now, Lux." _Oh, yeah. Don't ask stupid questions now._

Ahsoka jutted her eyes upward, but kept her head from moving... She saw no rustling. No sound... She could only sense the assassin's Force presence like he had a trace on him.

"He's up on the branch... He's done this move before... In the restaurant, remember...?" Ahsoka growled again. "He's going to regret his incompetence... When I knock the branch down, he'll fall, you'll stun him... Got it?"

I nodded. _Ready_.

In a split second, many things happened. Without looking in the upwards direction of where the assassin squatted, Ahsoka broke the branch he was standing on... Droids appeared from in front, which the rebels blasted in unison. Along with that, I swiveled around and sent a couple stun charges up above me, as the body of a blue Twi'lek fell flat, face forward...

_It was a hit!_

I kept my gun on him..., but still perplexed with the efficiency of Ahsoka's plan. "Darling, why did you ask me to stun him? The fall from that height would have knocked him out cold." I muttered.

With most of the droids down, the rebels looked nearly as confused as I was with the body (and branch) that fell from the treetops.

Ahsoka frowned, having a little bit of tears in her eyes... "This, Lux, is a loose end of the Droid Army; their assassin here... He _used_ to have a free-spirited heart, before he convinced himself to joined the Separatists, namely to punish _me_."

"For what?" I looked up to her, finding it slightly difficult not to look away from the body in case it were to jump out at us. But Ahsoka looked so pitted with grief that I had to ask what this person did to upset her. "Ahsoka?"

"It was because there was an 'us'. He wishes to punish me because he thinks I left it out... Now, he's terrorizing me. Us... Lux..., this is my old _boyfriend_, _Kidd Kareen_."

* * *

Third Person's POV

Durge snapped the last rebel's neck after scratching him with a razor _fifty_ times... He liked seeing the light in their eye before they died... Truly, it was inspirational to see their fear, like it was telling the gruesome Gen'dai _'yes, you're a powerful person... With that power, you have nothing more to fear in life.'_

It was a cruel point-of-view, but Durge had a thousand years to let his mind become ensnared with corruption. Outside influence, inside fear, they were all '_positive'_ motives to continue showing the galaxy that he has the power to _control_ life... And _end_ it... Inspirational was only a cornerstone word for how much of an impact it was to witness death at such a horrid degree.

Durge turned on his handheld holoprojector, (still ten times smaller than his palm). "Ah, Commander." Durge welcomed the BX-series commando droid. "How is Rash faring this precise manhunt? Or the battle that we've irrevocably won in these nice lands...?" He monologue again. "Beautiful planet... There clearly must be something to exploit out of such a place. After all, that's the inner psyche of every sentient I met in this bloody galaxy... Oh, it seems my poetic side has taken control over me...!" He gurgled a laugh. "What news, then?"

The commando didn't bow but just delivered his message as programmed. To the droids, there wasn't anything more important than that.

"My Lord, we have followed the rebels, but it seems like a diversion."

"How, expressively, so?" Durge hummed.

The commando pointed, even though Durge couldn't see what it was narrowing down. "It appears they are leaving flares up in the nighttime sky. We believe this is a diversion..."

"My assassin should have called in for following those flares. The kid is as clumsy as he is stupid... He'll follow their obvious breadcrumb trail down to their trap, then he'll be forgotten... I have no tears for him since none more can be shed... That old, droid. I'm that ancient... Anyways-"

A beeping sound came from his wrist gauntlet, signaling a coordinate readout and a small message from the assassin, Kidd Kareen: "I've found-" And it stopped right there.

"Hmmm..." Durge gave a sound of thought that sounded so very fake. "He's gone down the trail... I believe he has located our slippery quarry." Durge rubbed the durasteel dreadlocks of his armor... "Have the gunships spotted them along their trail of flares."

The commando shook. "Life detectors cannot pinpoint them along their trajectory since there is a mass of organic matter on this planet... Though, from the trail of flares, they are heading for the Northern Wall, a rock cliff that will jut a klick up vertically for a thousand more in every horizontal direction. If they go west, they head for one of _our_ staging outposts, right into our hands... East, and they go into the Wilds, a dangerous, _bestiary_ part of Onderon. They will eventually be trapped... Your orders, My Lord?"

Durge thought for a while... He didn't trust Kidd to get the job done, but he also didn't trust that the rebels would make a foolhardy decision in their _own_ land... They are going to scale the cliff.

"Send the gunships, connect the dots in the sky, and blow the cliff with their _missiles_ this time, not EMP... With patrols there, the concussive explosions should scare them away to take a more dangerous road. And if the rabble _HAPPEN_ to be underneath the cliff ledge, then that will be even more influential to their planning."

Durge knew what he was doing even if it was far-fetched. What he didn't plan for was what Kidd would do if he was captured by the rebels. And, indeed, a couple minutes ago, he was.

* * *

Lux's POV

As we carried Kidd Kareen's body for another couple of klicks into the night, I sullened up, skulking in the sidelines for a little bit... Though I couldn't tell Ahsoka that I recognize his identity as her former love interest, I could still pretend to be amazed... I was just up in jealousy.

"Why didn't you tell me about him? That he was the assassin?" I had my eyebrows in a tight wad on my forehead.

"Lux..." Ahsoka sighed. "Don't act like this... He knows now that I'll never return to him... If he kept the ruse, that would be one thing... But _no_... He's fodder now."

"_Expendable_, eh?" I kept make a grin.

"Not yet..." Ahsoka stared at two rebels, including Saw, who was carrying the gurney (basically made up of two thick sticks and a towel wrapped around the two). "He has information we may need."

I just shrugged. "Why not take another droid head?" I mumbled.

"Because," Ahsoka wrapped her left arm around my back. "This info may be more lucrative than architectural layout... He might know the tactics of the droids... And _more_."

I stared at the body of the traitor... His skin color was an azure blue with darker dots on his lekku. His head had a large wound in it, now drying up in a purple scab. His cama clothes were tarnished, ripped, teared; altogether looking a lot different from the black cloak he once wore when he attacked in Iziz; _three_ times... His third time wasn't in his favor due to the fact that Ahsoka revealed his identity. But he escaped under a passing speeder... Ahsoka told me that shortened portion of the story; how his sick obsession with punishing Ahsoka over me was realized.

_And yet, he might be fooling himself to assault someone he claims to love. That didn't make sense, but he tried to give credibility with revenge... He tried to prove that kidding oneself can lead someone down any dark path. Boy, did he try._

Clearly, I didn't enjoy the sight of him around us, but Ahsoka was right... We can still get _something_ out of him.

* * *

"STOP!" Steela called out... I looked up and saw a gigantic cliff, appearing now in the trees... The cliff was hiding our moon, Dxun, behind it, so it felt like we kept walking in darkness with nothing but our headlights in a forest that was out to get us, not because of the 'Great Beasts', no... I mean, the forest was dangerous ever since assassins like Kidd kept popping up.

But either way, the great wall was blocking our path... Luckily, we didn't set up any flares anytime recently... The only light we were able to see the cliff in was the stars. There were so many in the sky that they could rival Dxun. But despite its beauty, the way North appeared all but shut.

"Did we make a wrong turn?" I asked...

"No, we've been going the right way all this time." Tandin had a holocompass out, but no map. We just wanted to head north, but now this cliff was here to stop us.

I looked up... After a couple minutes, I realized that the jungle met the cliff-face perfectly for cover. The trees brushed against the rock like there was nothing in the galaxy that could prevent the flow of plantlife. Moss and foliage dotted the rock, heading up, up, up into the starry sky, appearing in just one big, black void.

"We're climbing it now?" Saw asked.

"No." Steela answered. "Take rest... We'll travel up at morning's first light."

"What about the droids..." Saw muttered. "On the exception of those gunships, we can easily lose them up the cliff wall."

"Some of us will be stationed in the night... At least we have to just protect three directions for potential attack."

And that was that... We walked right up to the base of the cliff and, for the moment, there was nowhere else we could wish to go. Rebels immediately fell to the ground asleep, exhausted from the trudging hike they been doing all day and nearly all night.

I was the last one to hit the warm ground, but briefly stopped when I witnessed two people were still up and waiting patiently... Ahsoka and Steela were staring at Kidd Kareen all through the night... As if he may lunge out on us any second we had the audacity to be sound in bed..., whatever that could be considered 'bed' on this hard and muddy ground.

It took the definite darkness, but eventually I ignored the roots that clawed my head and back. And somehow _somehow_, whether it was out of sheer exhaustion or self-preservation, my mind convinced my body to fall asleep.

* * *

**_I got news recently... Apparently, Seasons 7 and 8, with season 8 being the planned last season were already written out for Clone Wars before cancellation and some of the arcs that weren't created will transfer into comic book or novel form... HURRAY HURRAH! Yeah, I shouldn't hold my breath, but at least there is a New Hope in these Dark Times. That's all I have to say, A New Hope!_**


	5. The Mask

**Hey, only one review on the last chapter (thank you Count)... I know it's futile to expect this story will go far, but PLEASE review. It is a good motivator for me to continue and it is just entertaining to hear what you have to say. Anything is fine by me...**

**Here's chapter 5, which should be called 'the deep predicament'. Read to find out what I mean.**

* * *

Anakin's POV

I dashed and noticed very little sand was inside the homestead. I was expecting a whole pile of sands blocking the doorway, but everything seemed mild. I ran into the early morning air, up the stairs, through the entry dome, and into the wide expanse of desert... I scanned for the _Twilight_, knowing that it was in eyesight from the moisture farm. But looking around, I only saw GX-8 water vaporators...

I pulled out my macrobinoculars and had the same reaction... Nothing was distinct and zooming in, the only landmass I could find was the Jundland Wastes. Not even Anchorhead or Tosche Station appeared in the viewfinder.

"Grrr!" I exclaimed...

"There a problem?" I heard Owen's voice from behind me.

_Yes! Yes, there's a problem._ "That Twi'lek girl, Numa!" I shouted, wanting answers quickly. "She's missing. I sensed it. What room was she staying in?"

Owen still was taken aback with the rush I delivered with my question. Or the contents of that same question.

"We believe that she stayed in the droid repair station, to have conversation with our protocol droid."

"And she's gone!? Did you check the station?"

Before he could answer, I went down to find the droid area. My eye danced in dizziness as I scanned the room, seeing an empty oil bath, and section that held a _V-35 Courier_ landspeeder, and some controls... But nothing more.

"She's gone! She's gone!" I shouted.

Beru was woken up for she tapped my shoulder. "She may act like child and is hiding somewhere here. Why would she run off?"

I held back a growl. "You tell me."

"Skywalker, Anakin... If she's not here, she's probably got lost in the sandstorm. She couldn't have gone far, even if she left right when everyone went to sleep." Owen suggested.

"Or worse." I muttered. "Got dust pneumonia in that storm."

"Don't be so pessimistic." Beru tried to calm me down. "It'll get you no where."

"Then I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?" Owen was taken aback again.

_Where am I going? My adopted child is lost or dead and I can't dally!_

"Well, it looks like I'm going no where." I mimicked Beru's voice, before telling the reality of the situation. "I got go find her."

Owen hesitated but realized he can't say anything that was pessimistic, like I was already. "Then we wish you luck... Look out for them Sand People."

I gnashed my teeth, suddenly fearing the worst. "I know."

I ran up, forgetting to put on boots that could keep my feet from sinking into the temporarily cool ground, and trudged without complaint to find Numa.

I came to terms that I had very few resources to persist in the search, but if Owen is right, and she didn't get far, I 'll sense her presence soon.

_She is alive. I __would have sensed it if she died._

But something occurred in my mind that didn't escape since I woke up._ I still remembered that one mask in my dreams, that horrid thing... Was that a Sith Lord? A vision? The missing Sith...? I will find out and destroy that monster if the dreams prove to be a vision... I swear to it as much as I swear to find Numa. Somehow, somewhere._

* * *

Lux's POV

I woke up in a slow state. I gazed straight up into the stars and concurrently realized that nighttime was still in its waking hour. Looking around, I noticed Ahsoka was not sleeping but still staring at Kidd Kareen. I trudged up to her side and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Still passed out?" I asked.

"Yes, I just don't want him to run away."

When I saw the face of Kidd, I saw only a vague reflection of the common sentient. There was many scars and bruises there, but also average cheekbones, round chin, equally-spaced eyes, and the complexion of someone who had rays of sun dapple on his blue skin. However, there was a paler face, like he was afraid the universe, Ahsoka, maybe me from finding out who he was.

Which one was the mask? Which one hid who he was? I didn't know... I didn't even know why I was pitying him, but I do... I regret it, but I do.

"What was he like?" I asked Ahsoka before I knew what was ebbing from my mouth.

"I don't know, actually. I've been speaking to him a lot on holo, but never have I actually sat down and wondered who he was... But at Mon Gazza, he was inspired by himself, afraid to show his kind side but obviously had one..., and was warm... Like an afternoon star, his whole demeanor said 'Here I am. I'm here. I'll be gone soon, but I'll see you again before you know..." She paused. "I like planetary stars... From my studies in the Jedi Temple, Shili, the planet where I was born, was meant to be a _cold_ planet... Not that it was freezing or anything, but because the star barely shared rays of warmth. It was mainly _cloudy_, masked by an _incessant_ shade. Hiding the fruits of sweet, sweet warmth. When the star did shine, it was a momentous occasion. Every Togruta would go outside, create, and play in that star knowing that it wouldn't last long... That was Kidd... That's how I remembered him... Now, he's the shade."

Ahsoka held her knees to her chest and sighed, straightening her posture, before looking up.

Begging the question, I asked what was vital to me, "And what am I to you, Ahsoka?"

She gave a forced smile before denouncing, "You're many things, Lux. You're _light_... You're _everything_ and _nothing_. Just be proud that you're _all_ three."

I sighed, a little disappointed at how little in detail she went. I was 'many things'.

Maybe that's good.

I continued to stare at Kidd for minutes, before Ahsoka said, "I'm sensing something turning on inside him."

Indeed, Kidd was waking up. His crusty, bloodshot eyes were peeling away. When he opened them up completely, he yawned, before looking to his right... When he saw the rebels, he jumped for his blaster, if only it wasn't taken from him.

"What the- How did I-" He rapidly looked in all directions before his peripheral vision met my orange lover. "You- You-" He pointed a threatening finger at Ahsoka, before slipping off the wood stump where he sat, into the mud. His camo-clothes were already putrid with the elements of Onderon, with green chlorophyll stains on his knees and shins, as well as a cut in his shoulder armor. "You broke that branch, didn't you...? Didn't you?" He accused.

"Glad to see you too." She said sarcastically, with an inner malice.

Kidd detected it too, for, with a twitch of his thighs, stood up. "You miss me, Little Lady?" Kidd played with her sarcasm.

"Of course I missed you." Ahsoka stood up with him... "How could I not?" She stepped over kneaded his arm. "If you were gone, I wouldn't have been able to do so much."

Before Kidd saw it coming, which isn't saying much because I barely saw it coming too, Ahsoka threw back her arm, cocked it ready, and threw it forward, cracking on Kidd's face. With it all happening in a nanosecond, Kidd exclaimed (which woke up some of the rebels) and slapped a hand over his right cheekbone, where she hit him...

What I couldn't tell was that the now former assassin was tasting blood, reveling in spite of Ahsoka. "Saw it coming." He muttered.

"That was for betraying me, trying to hurt me, and succeeding the attempt... And trust me, Kidd. You didn't deserve that.. That was a mild piece of punishment..."

"Can't imagine the severe." He mocked further, enticing Ahsoka to answer.

"When you're dangling from my grip, after my lightsaber handiwork. Or when the blaster bolts of your enemies drill into you... That's when!"

Kidd chuckled. "My, my, Ahsoka. You sound a lot like a Sith."

Ahsoka opened her mouth to answer that, before snapping it back shut... I saw it on her face, and Kidd knew it as well, that he hit her weak spot.

I decided to defend Ahsoka. "And what have you to say about hurting her?"

Kidd grinned at me, before his face contorted with hatred..., and envy. "I already have..." He gave a knowing look towards Ahsoka.

I acted confused, pleasuring the assassin more.

"You met him after he attacked us at the power generator?" I winced as Ahsoka nodded.

"He told me why... Not good enough reason, of course, but I realized his folly." Ahsoka stepped over and grabbed the collar of his bodysuit glued under his camo-armor chestplates. "But I'm not with Lux yet, as you should know, Kidd... It's ridiculous to go as far as you did, just because you thought we were together."

_That hurt._

I felt my inner lung take a hit from what Ahsoka said, like the hit she gave Kareen.

"You are, aren't you?" Kidd rasped.

"Finding out you were trying to kill me _solidified_ 'me and him'." Ahsoka put an arm around mine. I couldn't help but smile, healed from the last comment. "Your efforts just took you off my sightseeing list and over to him."

Unfortunately, Kidd saw my grin and glared, staring deeply into my eyes with contempt.

"I see... But it's too late to say sorry... I had a mission to kidnap you to the Separatists. They would pay a handsome price for your capture..." He checked his fingernails with mockery. "However, because YOU turned the tables, perhaps we can bargain... My freedom for your safety."

"Forget it!" Ahsoka spat. "You can't negotiate without bringing something to the table."

Kidd smiled before holding his comlink... "But I have brought something, my hasty friend." He twiddled it in the air.

"You can't call for help," Ahsoka used the Force to grab ahold of his comlink, "without it!"

I was gladly surprised at Ahsoka spontaneous ingenuity, but that quickly died when I saw Kidd was still smiling, still beating Ahsoka in a complicated game of dejarik.

"Oh."

"What?" Ahsoka snarled.

"Oh, nothing." Kidd chided.

Ahsoka grabbed his chest cleft again. "Tell me what you're planning!"

_Boom!_

The explosion startled _everyone_, making them afraid that the detonation was somewhere close. If it weren't for the darkness against the sudden light of the explosion, I wouldn't have realized where it was as quickly. Indeed, a ball of fire was rising, furling its mushroom cloud in the distance... _The droids sent a missile in the cliff face a klick away!_

"Gah, everyone up, but stay quiet." Steela held her hand to the side... Ahsoka kept her eyes on Kidd, glaring with a fury as much as Kidd had a hatred for me; for how I 'stole' Ahsoka from him.

All the rebels who were awake mutely went to their neighbors to wake them up, moving their bodies to stir them with some gasping from the sudden exile of their slumbers. Officially, it was not certain if the droids knew where the rebels were located. But when they heard marching, it seemed certain they were taking a gamble... A gamble that I knew the droids would win!

In the distance, there was the thunderous sound of clanking plastoid against the hard, but also muddy, ground... After a couple seconds of careful listening, it was distinguished that the entire army was stretched thin, but ran the length of the cliffside. _The droids will soon box them against a rock wall that was a klick high!_

One of the rebels, Jerog Bridger, was shivering as he heard the oncoming droids... "It's them." He gasped.

Steela grew worried... Unfortunately, that fear was turned to terror when another explosion came from above... One woman almost screamed, before I lunged to cover her mouth to muffle the sound._ We couldn't reveal our location_...

But the tumbling rocks forced everyone to sprint towards the jungle, away from the falling rocks as they crashed into where we stood a few moments ago.

There was dust and debris rising in the air around us, forcing others to hold their breath against what the Separatists were doing... They were pushing us closer to the approaching Droid Army!

And it appeared that gunships were lining up against the cliff and firing rockets into the rock... It was unknown _why_ they would waste so much ammunition to snuff us out, but there I realized there was something important that must be kept in our group in order to go to such impetuous lengths.

"The droids don't seem to be dim anymore..." Saw remarked as rock piles continued to rise higher from the rain up on the cliffs... Kidd and Ahsoka continued to glare at each other.

"Yeah." I gasped in anxiety. "They either really want us dead..., or..., or-"

"Or someone wants you're capture..." Kidd finished... He stared knowingly at my 'Soka.

"Me?" Ahsoka muttered. "They want the rebels dead but me to be..., _alive_?"

"They want you all dead. Trust me." Kidd grin grew so large that his dimples were like separate, vertical smile. "If they can capture you, then you could be useful. Someone like you, I mean." He continued eyeing Ahsoka.

"'Soka...?" I questioned... _What do they want with 'Soka?"_

The rocks stopped falling as the gunships seemed to take a break to recharge.

"She knows." Kidd said simply. "Oh, she knows."

"The Nexus Route Coordinates." Ahsoka murmured. "They will try and cough it out from me, but it won't work... Someone else has the other half."

"It doesn't matter." Kidd thrust his hand forward to emphasize. "Your half is good enough."

I just shook my head and grabbed his shoulders, nearly raising him off his feet if only I was tall enough. "Why shouldn't we just kill you right now? What is it that you have brought to the table that's so important. No communication. No weapons... Not even competence."

Kidd moved his head away as I sprayed saliva against his face, puffing for breath... But he was in no place to complain.

"They don't know I'm captured... I can work undercover for you. Tell them to call their forces off; that your crumb trail was merely a hoax. I can do that."

I sighed... Everyone was holding their breath.

"You can?" Ahsoka peeped.

He continued to puff air excessively. "Of course. They know _me_. I'm one of _them_ in their eyes. I can be a double agent for you... Not like I have any other choice."

"What's the catch?" Ahsoka growled again.

"I'll have to be free, not a slave... I have to be treated like one of you." Kidd said incredulously.

"You want what?" Saw snapped.

"Now, now." Kidd sneered. "If you don't start now, the droids will come and wipe us out... We got no where to run."

The gunships warbled in ignition and fired missiles into the rockface once more, pounding the natural surface with their manufactured weaponry. The explosions were enormous, lit up the nighttime sky, and blocked out the stars with the amount of light they were carrying... And on and on went the monotone metronome of the droid's marching.

I still had a hold of Kidd, but it seemed like it wouldn't last long. Before I knew it, Kidd held a gun at my throat. "But, if you're hesitant, maybe I should make the process move more smoothly." He almost laughed as he held the blaster, finger tight on the trigger.

I realized as I felt my left holster that he took _my_ blaster, so I whipped out the other one and aimed it at _his_ throat, while taking a couple steps back. All the other rebels were also aimed their weapons at Kidd. I smiled, realizing how much we outnumbered him...

But when I noticed that Ahsoka still held Kidd's comlink in her palm, I realized that Kidd really had the edge. _He was right... We need him to get us out of here._

"You put us in this predicament." I held my pistol stout on him.

"It was my pleasure." Kidd said giddily. "I really wanted to rebel; it's part of my Twi'lek blood to do so. And you offer so much that I can rebel against."

"Liar!" Ahsoka shouted. "You just want to join us so you wouldn't be our prisoner anymore. You're loyalty relies on the Separatists."

"You don't know that. There's many things you don't know about me, 'Soka." He mocked. I nearly pulled the trigger because he said 'Soka'.

Rocks continued to tumble down, piling up the cliff face. Missiles from the gunships were not holding back. They were slamming and pounding the rock with as much hatred as Kidd and I had for each other.

"You just want to join us," Ahsoka snarled as she furrowed her eyemarks, "so you can make amends for me. But if you think after what you did to me, I'll ever forgive. Never!"

"True." Kidd sighed... He lost his glee when she said exclaimed that line. "But that doesn't mean I can't try and be around you... You _need_ me."

"And after you drive the droids back, what authority do you have?" Ahsoka continuously gnashed her teeth... Everyone was tense.

"If I am killed," Kidd simply said as if he was asked for the contents of his groceries. "the Seps will know... I have a life tracking system in my gloves..." He showed everyone to see. "If I'm one of the Separatist KIA's..., _they'll know_."

Missiles blew into the mountain with the noise of ominous clanking. _It was horrifying to know how trapped we were... How stuck to one decision we were still at._

Rocks fell and dust piled around us like fog.

"You're a snake." I spat. "How do we know you're not lying?"

He shook his head, but this time not out of spite. "You don't."

"How do we know you won't just tell the Droid Army to continue the attack once we give you the comlink?" Ahsoka gurgled.

Kidd turned his head to fleetingly look at our Togruta Jedi before looking back at me.

"You don't."

Rocks nearly crushed one rebel as we realized that the rubble was approaching us, eventually forcing us to be crushed or run into the jungle where the 'beasts' were lurking.

Ahsoka tossed Kidd his comlink, as he lowered my blaster from pointing at me. "Do it for me... Make the call." She grunted robotically.

"Fair warning, kid." Kidd gazed at me... I nearly growled at him for calling me 'kid'. "Stay away from her."

I shook my head like he did. "Because you still _want_ her?"

"Because she's _deceitful_. She'll throw you away like she did to me... Mark my words."

The explosions overhead buzzed and wracked and impounded as one rebel was finally crushed..._ It was now or never!_

"I'm not." Ahsoka growled... Kidd got ready to turn on the comm channel to the droids. "You are... You betrayed everything you stood for, not the outcome of that race. I hate you." Ahsoka pointed an accusatory finger.

Kidd just smiled one last time. "Oh, I love you."

"No, you don't." Me and Ahsoka said together.

Few more seconds flew by, but it seemed like minutes of wasteful time. As we were forced to rely on a double crosser turned double agent.

He pressed the button for the comm. "Stop firing." He announced. "Cease fire... The rebels are not here... Their flare trail was indeed a scam. Only one rebel was leading the way for the trail, but I took care of her... Retreat now... The rebel scum won this day."

Static roared from the speaker, but finally the gunships stopped firing; the hidden droids in the jungle stopped marching... _He did it. He actually said the truth. He saved our lives._

After a dour moment, the comm buzzed as mechanical, but sentient, voice grind, "Copy... We are retreating our droid army and sending scouts in the opposite direction... The rebels won't elude us for long."

He tossed the comlink back to Ahsoka... "See... Not so bad, am I?" He folded his arms in conceit. No one rewarded or praised him.

_Unsurprisingly._

"You saved our lives, but your crimes against us can still never be forgiven." Ahsoka took my blaster from his hands and gave it back to me. "Is that clear?"

"We shall see." Kidd merely muttered. "But either way, were not safe here... We better use our cables to climb up. _Yes! 'Ours'_!" He glared at some rebels who gave him the look when he said 'our'.

"You're still on their side." One rebel groaned.

Kidd just nodded. "Negative. The Seps gave me the chance to rebel... Now you do the same... You give, I deliver... The whole 'assassin' scenario was just a mask."

"How can I believe anything you say?" Ahsoka roughly pushed his shoulder.

"You don't have to. I just want in and you guys still _need_ me... Simple as that." Kidd gave one more nod before firing his grappling hook as high as it could go, just a fourth of the way up... "Along the way, we'll have to hold on to the rock as best we can before refiring our slings. Got it...? And sorry, Miss Gerrera." He turned to Steela. "But that will be all the leading I'll do for now on... You take the charge." And he gave either a mocking or respectful bow.

"As it should be..." Steela grabbed her sniper rifle, attached a grappling gun, and fired it into the sky... She then shimmied up, with others following the way...

I did the same, but I waited for Kidd to start his way up there. "Need a lift?" He raised a hand towards Ahsoka.

"Never for you." Ahsoka slapped it away.

It was then I offered a hand... "Hold on to my shoulders, 'Soka... I can give you a ride."

She looked at my hand, almost hesitant, before taking it.

* * *

**Like I said, please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. I don't know, like to know when I do a good job with a couple hours of work and thinking and clicking the keyboard.**

**I think this is one of my better chapters, so please, **

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	6. Rebelling Against Rebellion

**I would like to say sorry for not updating in a while... I'm starting move away from the Clone Wars for one question has popped in my mind ever since _bookreaderninja_ has pointed it out: WHERE ARE ALL THE CLONE WARS FANS? I won't blame Rebels for putting the stake in the Clone Wars heart (even though I would have in the past). The biggest blame I place is on the fact that Disney is halting or slowing any new content for the Clone Wars. Yes, I know it's been cancelled by the 'Empire', but there was still so much content that was going to be available... I mean, there was supposed to be 2 1/2 seasons to go... Scripts have been written... It couldn't be a money problem, since Disney is rich with it (Forget finance. If they could raise the admission ticket for Disneyland, when it's just growing more popular, they're not holding back on income.) And considering the backlash, it wasn't a popularity problem. So why cancel it? Because you want to start fresh? Because you want us to focus only on your own content? Because you want to antagonize us? It seems I'll never know.**

**I'll just say that you guys will get less chapters than I have planned since my interest in it is starting to wane. Yes, I do like reviews like the next fanfic writer, so if I can hear that there are still a large group of TCW fans out there, I'll be inclined to type more consistently. But otherwise, this is the shortened version, a lot like the latter third of Where Doesn't It Hurt!.**

**So please enjoy... Please...**

* * *

Anakin's POV

'The desert is merciless. It takes everything from you.'

I remember when I said that to Ahsoka. To me, everything about the Jedi was not all that I hoped for it to be. They held back on my passion - _my passion_ - to help others and replace it with the idea that only inner serentity was important... Gaining inner sanctum with the Force. Trying to clear my mind until it was a blank slate for them to write on.

No one could hope to survive that.

When I was a boy on this same planet, I wanted to be _the_ Jedi. Being _the_ Jedi felt like the best way to become the best person ever. I strive to be _that_ person. I hoped the Jedi would make me as such, make me be able to do all that I have dreamed... I've waited twelve years with that same hope and it still hasn't come into fruition.

I stared up in front of me, before turning my face to the side once more... There was winds blowing, not enough to make the unbearable surroundings be a sandstorm, but enough to keep my eyes in a squint. Wondering how far the nearest landmark was, I tried looking forward, but then closed my eyes again, allowing the bullet-fast sands to scrape against my cheek instead.

If Numa went out on her own, it must have been because of those Sand People. No, I am not suggesting a kidnapping like they did to my mother, but I believed she went out hearing their raucous bellows between each other. _Yes. Then the sandstorm came._

The problem was that I didn't have a clue which direction she went. I was on my own... But I had the Force. Whether it existed or I had an affinity towards the Jedi Way, I still had something to believe in.

So I sat down and did something Obi-Wan would have been surprised to see me do: I went cross-legged and began to _meditate_. I ignored the dust and sand swarming around me like the thetastorm on Lanteeb; as violent as congested flock of sand bats.

But I kept thinking to myself... Thinking of all the good times, good things that will come once the war is over. I'm here to save a life, Numa Kareenta, and I'll eventually free all the slaves here on Tatooine. It was my dream. It was destiny to always find the crossroads to return to this forsaken planet.

The desert was merciless. It takes everything from you. But right now, I kept it from bothering me.

Redness was pelting on wherever skin was shown from the winds, swelling from the array of minuscule stones. But right now, I didn't mind.

I recited the Jedi Code that Obi-Wan had taught me, stopping at a line that seemed most convoluted: 'There is no Emotion, there is Peace.'

I wish I could believe that, but it was simply not true. None of the Code seemed true.

* * *

Cello's POV

There was an air of emptiness and discontent in my brother's workshop at the moment. I looked at how the sun's rays would stream down from an overhanging skylight. I caught it in my hand, the red malcontent. It was only morning.

Lando was about to head out to sell cybernetic techno outside in Malgan Market, but I stopped him for a moment. The boy's black hair swayed as he saw me looking at him. There was no mischievous smile on his face, only a confused stare.

"What is it Mistress Cello, clothes bathed in light and yellow." Lando gave a contrived bow... I was confused at why he was acting like that, so outlandish of himself.

"Why are you talking like that?" I queued.

"Just- just trying to be like Terry... He's always so poetic and-" He shrugged. "I-I miss him."

"You're not alone." I patted his head.

"And what about you and Saw?" He asked rather abruptly.

I was taken aback at how sudden that question was. "He's just a forgetful... _person_," I couldn't come up with an insult on the spot. Maybe I couldn't be able to. "He only cares about his own wellbeing. Nothing short of that."

"You like him... You have feelings for him... Don't you?" My eyes went rounded and bulged in surprise. _How would he have guessed that?! I know I've been hiding it well!_

"And what do you know about a woman's feelings for a man. Even then, you flirt with every girl you see like it's your own private agenda." I scoffed.

He lifted his arms, somewhat like another shrug. "Look, Mistress. I may be an apprentice and wannabe builder... But I'm a scoundrel. I'm j- I'm that."

"Yep." I tried not rolling my eyes. "You're annoying like that."

"Being a scoundrel means more than just being 'annoying'" Lando took out his gun from his holster and put in the inner pocket of his dalgo-leather jacket. "Gunslinger. Smuggler... When I'm all those, I won't forget everything the Bonteri's gave me to get there."

"On my side of the family, there's no such thing as being formal... We're rebels in this fight for liberation."

"For Onderon." We fist bumped each other...

Then the door to the Workshop burst open... I jumped at the sudden surprise, as light suddenly blinded me... The rising sun was hitting me right in the face, garish in its rude awakening. But that wasn't what bothered me as I lifted a hand shield where the bright orb levitated in the sky. Twitching my eyes down to see who came in, I saw plastoid feet clanking on the rough stone ground.

Battle droids were storming inside!

The door slapped shut again and although none of the droids blasters were raised at us, I knew trouble was brewing when I saw someone familiar trying to call to me, his voice muffled in a sack.

"Terry!" I exclaimed. My eyes bulged once again as a frown quivered on my lips.

"We found this man trying to park in his designated spot in Iziz's landing bay. Unfortunately, upon checking the identity of his Corellian freighter, we found out he was overdue. But we have other charges, besides such."

I didn't know what to say for I was sucked in on the cornering situation, happy to see my brother again but fearful of the droids there... If it was one droid, I thought I could outsmart it like the last time. But more forces meant more superiority. So I was trapped where I was.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Lando stepped forward to start talking our way out of this.

"So name the charges!" He shouted.

"Landslide." I spoke through the side of my mouth. "Now's not the time to get us in trouble."

"Your charges won't be stated until we bring you to King Sanjay Rash, ruler of Onderon, Protector of Iziz, Hierarchy to Judicial Judgment." The droid warbled robotically, but still in its high-pitched voice.

"Without charges?" I quirked, trying to formulate an innocent tone of voice. "As citizens of His Majesty, we deserve to know what were being brought for."

"For the crimes you've made, we can't allow that."

"Sounds bad." Lando muttered at me.

"Sounds _scoudrelous_." I made up the word.

"We deserve more than this." Lando rebelled but raised his hands in surrender.

The droids weren't so easily fooled. "You're going to have to march to Unifar Temple before we can tell what you're accused for."

Lando shrugged. "Can I at least get one more sandwich out of my-"

"Move on!"

* * *

Saw's POV

I never had a head for heights, but here was a moment that I felt nauseous. The hard wind at the altitude was extraneous on the nerves and it just kept me on my toes..., if only it could meet firm ground. Sometimes as we repelled up, my boots met a mudslick and made me loose my footing. I held even more tightly on the handle of the grappling hook as I slipped, keeping my balance, trying to keep my cool... I was fearful that the end of the grappling hook would wobble in the unsteady terrain and cause me to fall...

_I couldn't keep to dreads._

I kept repelling up the side of the rock face and into the rising sun. Once I reached the top, being the first to make it up there, my eye caught not just more forest but a _city_ _wall_...

Or what was left of it. Rubble was strewn on the ground that speckled the red dirt in a random positions. Alongside that, the wall carried a newly wrestled appearance to itself with giant chunks missing from it as if gnawed by giant teeth. However, the structure resembled no semblance of decay nor foliage crawling up it's face... It look like it was destroyed only a few weeks ago.

"Guys..." I called out to those who were still clamoring up the rock... "Take a gander at this." Those who were with me was just possessed with confused looks.

Light glided against the rim of the wall, poking a hole into places where parts of it collapsed. I saw the ray from one of those outcroppings hit us, turning us as orange as the ground... The star, Prael, wasn't refreshing since it was always oppressively hot here, but no one seemed to mind... The night was long, so the drudgery we endured made that star all the more welcomed. As well as all gratitude that explication provided for us people.

I recognized my sister's voice, when she came around the cliff's edge. "A little help over here!" She gasped.

I turned around and sure enough, Steela was dangling on the edge... If it weren't for the precarious height she ladled atop, I would have dismissed her plea as something trifle. But my dread took over. "Sis!" I screamed. So I ran forward, held tight to her arm as she used her other arm to grab my shoulder, and I leaned backwards, taking a few tiny steps to accumulate her weight.

When it was all over, she coughed before patting my shoulder. "I don't mind heights like you, Saw."

"You should start." I suggested.

"I'll be fine... Let's just make sure that all the other's get up."

I spotted the Twi'lek's blue head as it made his way up to the cornice of the cliff. I had to hold myself back from pushing him off the edge.

"You." I spat.

He brushed the dust and dirt off his front, clearing himself of the elements, before addressing me. "What do you want?"

"Your name?" I crossed my arms. Some of the other rebels were following my posture.

"My name Kiddarto Kareenta. Most call me _Kidd_ Kareen."

"I can see why." I scowled.

"Never got that before." He murmured sarcastically, trying hard not to scowl as well.

"Why do want to join us...? So you can play double agent for the Separatists?" I felt the stubs of hair that was on my upper lip hit my nose at how hard I scowled.

"I'm a double agent... But not for them." Kidd raised his hands like he was surrendering. "I know that won't be enough to get you to trust me, but it should at least calm your minds to an extent."

"Then you failed." A voice came from the ridge. Over the edge came Ahsoka as she turned around to pull Lux up as well. "I'm here to keep an eye on the rebels, but I'll glue my sight on you, for now." She pointed a threatening finger at him.

"Not for same reasons, I should know." Kidd bowed to her. "I'm sorry, but I'm also here to warn you that fighting the leader of the Onderonian Separatist Occupation is a fools errand."

"Ah..." Lux seem to keep himself from beating him. "So this is how you'll weaken us from within? Feed us doubts that we can prevail."

"Natural reasoning." Kidd sighed. "But I'm just saying it once. The leader is a Gen'dai warmaster and tactician; sadist in his spare time. He is not easily beaten."

I already got some dread, but realized that it was not voluntary. _This could be his strategy to weaken us._ "Nice try." I scoffed. "But we're still fighting. We shall overcome the Confederacy and the Republic with our own sovereignty..." I turned to the Jedi ambassador. "I mean no offense, Ahsoka."

"I know where you stand." Ahsoka twirled her arm in the air. She then turned to Kidd, eyemarks in a glare. "And there is _another_." Ahsoka tried hard not to rush the line out.

"Another what?"

"Another leader. A 'she'... You told me in restaurant."

"I-I can't tell about her... She's even worse than the Gen'dai." Kidd cowered

My knuckles cracked. "You will if you give a damn what we are trying to do."

I raised a hand to punch Kidd, before a cry came out. And it wasn't from the rebels! "STOP! No violence here! We only wish for peace...!"

We all looked behind our backs and out from the ruins came what looked like a poor farmer, complete with a tattered vest, grass-stained shin guards, rim-torn fedora, and air of an elder.

"You're the terrorists from Iziz that we've heard about." Another person came out. A woman with black hair ruffled against dark skin.

I croaked. "We're freedom fighters, not terrorists. We wish no harm on any man, woman, nor child. Just to the Droid Army."

"The Droid Army is like the body of a Gen'dai." Kidd broke in. "Take a stab and it will immediately heal and replenish."

The rebels seemed to ignore Kidd's pessimistic comment and went back to the farmers. However, pretty soon, the people retaliated on my answer. "Why do you disturb us? They peppered turretfire against the cliff that stretches this side of our home... The ground rumbled like no other quake before and collapsed some of our buildings. People are injured as we speak... Were they firing on _you_?"

Kidd stepped forward. "No. They weren't." He licked his dry lips. "They we're doing a test run on their weapons and didn't care if your civilization was here."

"And what gives you the audacity to say that?" A third came out, this time it was a man covered in sawdust and dirt. "We're just simple farmers and you brought the Droid Army to our doors."

"If the Droid Army knew where we were, we would already be dead." One of the rebels, Ryon Rocal, suggested.

"Nonsense!" The leading farmer shouted. "We came here to live with nature. We came into the jungle to find peace."

"And the clankers are trying to impede on that." Lux said.

"'Clankers'?" The woman questioned.

"Droids." Steela translated.

The old man looked at us with scrutiny, eyeing our features through sagged brows against fair skin, not counting the liver spots on his cheek.

"Come inside. We have much to talk."

Kidd stepped forward and I was only too curious what he had to say now. "What are you doing out here when the Separatist's are ruling this planet? It's not like they are just going to ignore these settlements. They found you last night. They will drive you from your homes."

The leader looked around and sighed. "You forgot the Onderonian way, my friends. We survive longer, not die swifter... You can say..., that we're rebelling..., against rebellion. Everyone knows that most rebellion is eventually crushed. It's not that you can't win... It's just that the odds are so far against you."

I took a guess that Lux was taking a gulp at this moment but I wasn't discouraged. _I had a job to do._

"We would rather kill than to be killed. Break their way-of-life than let ours be broken." I said, without raising my voice.

The old man just stood there and pondered what we said. He folded his arms and before he continued with his strides, made one last remark. "You're so much like the enemy."

He reminded me so much like King Dendup, who was still stationed at the Nest._ Hoh! I almost forgot about this whole mission being a detour to buy more time and get more forces..._

_Perhaps, whether these locals look brightly to it or not, they will have to be persuaded to fight with us. We need more men in order to counter this mysterious Separatist Leader. We need the planet to believe us._

* * *

Third Person's POV

The Jedi Temple was awfully quiet since the crash of the Twilight and _Nu_-class attack shuttle against the flat roof, precariously between two towers that kissed the stratosphere. There was a more peaceful atmosphere, much more tranquil than ever before. However, ever since the mind control of Aayla Secura, there was one thing proven to the Order: Their defenses were weak.

The Jedi Temple was treated differently from then-on-out. Instead of a sacred monument it was to be a security hub. There was the notion that the Order wasn't safe anymore, not just because of the Separatists or rogue Force-users, but because of terrorist attacks. Most people want the war to end, the violence to stop, to just let the traitorous Confederacy to go.

The Clone Wars rage on.

While the Jedi Order was made out to be as helpless servants honor-bound, the Chancellor appeared as a symbol of the Republic; that it will endure in any way it can. He has shown very little physical fatigue, besides the years he spent reassuring the public that the War was in their favor... He has control over the Senate, the Courts, and now the InterGalactic Banking Clan ever since the demise of Rush Clovis on Scipio.

_Yes, his former master would have been very proud if he could see what control he had._ 'Forget betrayal.' He would tell himself. 'The ends justify the means.'

* * *

A few standard miles from the Senate building, the Jedi Temple was nestled in peace that was, seemingly, a bubble against the surrounding stasis of the Clone Wars.

Quinlan Vos walked on the red carpet of the Temple, before he clipped his boots when it hit polished stone once more. He was going to take a look at his former padawan, inside the Halls of Healing.

Twin Temple Guards were stationed on either side of the door, a new addition to the Temple ever since the incident with Aayla's mind. Then a familiar Jedi doctor stepped out. Rig Nema.

The guards remained stoic, expressionless, lackluster in jaunt as the doctor hit a few keys on her datapad. She nearly bumped into the scraggly Kiffar that stood in her way.

"_Oh_, Master Vos." She coughed. "I'm guessing you're here to see your old padawan."

"Aayla." He specified. "Where is she?"

She appeared frank, but uneventful with what she had to say next. "I'm sorry, Quinlan, but Master Secura is in a deep sleep."

"In a bacta tank? Kolto tank?" The gruff Jedi wanted to be sure.

"Neither." Nema corrected, "Her mind is being corrected by our Chief Healer, Vokara Che."

"What about that new Archives librarian that we have?" Quinlan thumbed a filthy finger against his stick-hair chin.

"Barriss Offee?" Nema questioned. "Her duty at this point is no longer a Healer. She works in the Archives, a still important position."

"Remember, it was her willpower that healed Master Depa Billaba after she turned to the Dark Side and was taken under our custody. Does that mean nothing?" Vos gestured his hands in the air to emphasize.

"Quiet!" Nema shrilled. "You forget, Vos, that the betrayal of Master Billaba is top secret to the Order. Not even her padawan is supposed to know this. If people knew, there would be even more treachery against the Order. I can tell you that... Pong Krell and Dooku are but a few... If more traitors of the Order are to be made public, then our resolve, the Republic's citizens' resolve, will suffocate and I for one have seen enough death in this war as it is."

"But she was redeemed." Vos obstinately persisted the conversation but continued through whispering. "Because our Healers were able to change her psyche into one that could not recall those dark motives. Remember, it was Barriss's miracle work that brought Master Billaba back into the person she's supposed to be."

Nema just brushed Vos aside. "And that is the exact same procedure we will do with Master Secura, minus who's healing her. Trust in the Force, Vos. Your padawan will be just fine."

And so Doctor Nema walked down the dimly-lit hallway on the errand she intended to run, leaving Quinlan Vos altogether displeased.

"I'll find answers." He grumbled to himself. "Even if it means breaking every rule in the book."

* * *

**Once again, please review. I know I haven't updated in a while and if I just have a little feedback, I'll be inspired to go faster even if I don't go longer than I intended.**

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